Diagnosing Alzheimer's disease poses numerous challenges due to the overlap of age-related cognitive decline and pathological dementia symptoms.
Initially, a thorough medical assessment was carried out, which included neurological examinations, tests to evaluate mental status, and brain imaging scans.
Progressive symptoms such as memory loss, confusion, and impaired judgement are important indicators throughout the preclinical, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and dementia stages of Alzheimer's.
However, a conclusive diagnosis is often made after death through the examination of brain tissue, which reveals the plaques and tangles associated with this distressing disease.