While doctors are still trying to fully understand Alzheimer’s disease and discover potential treatments for the disease, here are five warning signs that you may have it, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Memory loss that disrupts daily life
Doctors have revealed that memory loss and confusion that becomes so debilitating that it disrupts daily life can be a symptom of Alzheimer’s disease.
“In Alzheimer’s disease, the most common symptom is not just memory loss,” neurologist James Livers told Eat this Not That.
“It is as if the event or discussion did not happen. We all forget things many times or we may need some cues to display an event or some kind of specific memory information,” he added.
“But we worry more regarding it when you have a conversation with a parent for example, and they don’t remember that conversation later and even with hints,” he continued.
financial problems
Lauren Hirsch-Nicolas of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health points out that there are a lot of anecdotes regarding patients who didn’t even know they had dementia when some of these financial or bill-related events were happening, for example.
“Then the whole family might find out when they lost a home or business, or suddenly a new fraudster was added to other accounts and was taking their savings,” she added.
Poor or bad decisions
In addition, the Canadian Alzheimer’s Association said that “from time to time, people may make questionable decisions such as putting off seeing a doctor when they are not feeling well.”
“However, a person with dementia may experience changes in judgment or decision-making, such as not recognizing a medical problem that needs attention or wearing heavy clothing on a hot day.”
Changes in mood and personality
In parallel, unexplained changes in mood and personality are a common early symptom of Alzheimer’s disease.
In this context, Dr. James Galvin said, personality changes often occur several years before the cognitive problems associated with Alzheimer’s.
He added that knowing these signs is very important for the development of new drugs that can modify the disease. It also gives the patient and family members more time to plan for a gradual deterioration.
Putting things in the wrong place
Another sign that she may have Alzheimer’s, according to the Alzheimer’s Association in the UK, is people losing things as a result of their memory loss.
They may misplace common items, such as glasses or keys, or put an item somewhere for safekeeping and then forget where it is.
