The first signs are, as mentioned earlier, increasing forgetfulness not being able to recall recent events or simple directions. Family and friends notice the person forgetting appointments, misplacing things or putting them in illogical places, forgetting names and conversations. Disorientation sets in the person can be lost in familiar surroundings or wander away from home, losing sense of time and date. Mood swings are another symptom, along with depression, anxiety, aggressiveness and social withdrawal. With so little known about the cause of Alzheimer s Disease, diagnosis is, of course, difficult, and takes the form of a process of elimination to rule out other conditions that could cause similar symptoms and memory loss.
Doctors generally take a thorough medical history, and probably interview family and friends too.
Basic blood and urine tests will be done and various mental status tests. Use will also be made of brain scans. Drug treatments are available, but these can cause severe side effects in return for only a modest improvement in mild cases generally all that can be done is to assist with care as the disease progresses over a five-year span or longer. Recently herbal treatments have come into favour, the most popular being Ginkgo, a tree known for its medicinal properties since ancient times. It is believed that Ginkgo stimulates nerve-cell activity and protects nerve cells.