A person with AD experiences progressively increasing impairment of memory, thinking, reasoning, and language. Personality changes can also occur. AD can be inherited, but most cases are not related to inheritance. The exact cause or causes are not known.
More research is needed, however.
Your doctor can tell you whether you might benefit from any preventive measures. Because there are many forms of dementia, with overlapping symptoms, the only sure way to diagnose AD has been at autopsy, when brain tissue can be examined under a microscope. Often AD is diagnosed through a process of elimination. Doctors use patients' medical history, physical examination findings, tests of mental status, and diagnostic tests such as CT or MRI to check for other possible causes of dementia. These include stroke, brain tumors, infections, thyroid and other medical conditions, and psychological problems.