It is estimated that 363,685 individuals over 65 living in the State of Florida have the disease. During an autopsy he performed in 1906, he discovered a significant difference in the cerebral cortex of the deceased and surmised that this was the cause of the individual's dementia and ensuing death. These observations were later repeated and confirmed through autopsies performed by other physicians. While there is no one test, other than autopsy at death, to conclusively identify Alzhemier's disease, there are reliable medical tests and evaluations that are highly successful in diagnosing dementia caused by Alzheimer's. Diagnosis is accomplished through an extensive physical examination, patient and family history assessment, a battery of neurological and psychiatric tests, evaluation of the patient's current medications and laboratory tests.
Early diagnosis is important.
It allows patients to have a say in planning their future. The FDA has recently approved two new drugs that help improve memory for Alzheimer's patients, tacrine and donepezil hydrochloride. These drugs affect the amount of acetylcholine in the brain allowing greater communication between brain cells which in turn improves memory. Tacrine and donepezil hydrochloride are called acetylcholinesterase inhibitors because they decrease the breakdown of acetylcholine. Although these drugs can help to improve memory, they do not stop the brain cell deterioration caused by Alzheimer's disease.