Diagnosing Alzheimer's

At present there is no specific blood test that can be used to diagnose Alzheimer's. Factors used to diagnose the disease include:

• Obtaining a family history. Have parents or other first degree relatives suffered from Alzheimer's
• A description of disease progression comparing previous and present functioning. Having a close contact present to help give this comparative history is important.
• Administering tests that reveal the patient's ability to learn new material, problem solve and perform previously well understood tasks, such as the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) or the Functional Assessment Questionnaire (FFQ). Administered periodically, these tests can also be used to help track disease progression.
• Computed tomography (CT scan) or magnetic resonance imagining (MRI) to see if there is brain atrophy (wasting away) and larger than expected cerebral ventricles
• Performing a physical examination and blood tests to rule out other causes for the dementia such as HIV, stroke, Parkinson's disease etc.
• Rule out depression, infection and other treatable illnesses that can mimic dementia
• Taking a history of medication, illicit drug and alcohol use