Often, one of the best clues to an individual's illness is the nature of the earliest changes observed by the family. It is very important for a knowledgeable family member to accompany the patient in order to provide this critical information. It is also important to obtain information about any other medical problems that may be present, current medications used and whether there is a family history of a similar problem with memory and thinking. Laboratory Studies Other than identifying the presence of one of the gene mutations know to cause Alzheimer's disease, there are no laboratory tests that can be used to diagnosis Alzheimer's disease with complete certainty. Some of these tests are only available at centers that specialize in the evaluation of patients with memory loss and dementia.
Most physicians obtain a complete set of routine blood studies.
This may include those needed to assess thyroid function and other conditions deemed relevant by the evaluating physician. However, not all patients have these changes and patients with other neurologic problems that may mimic Alzheimer's disease can also have alterations in these two proteins. Therefore, using the existence of these two altered proteins to diagnose Alzheimer's disease may be limited to those centers that have experience in interpreting the results. They are very good at identifying conditions such as strokes, subdural hematomas and tumors that alter brain anatomy. However, the changes in brain anatomy produced by Alzheimer's disease are often difficult to distinguish from normal age-related changes.