Many people assume that if an older person becomes forgetful and can no longer deal with some of the basic activities of daily living, he or she must have Alzheimer’s disease. This is not always the case.By Bob DeMarco
Here is an example of what can happen if you don't get thoroughly tested.
I cannot tell you how many times I have recommended to someone to go beyond their personal care physician and get a neurological consult. They rarely follow through which never stops amazing me.My father’s internist diagnosed him with Alzheimer’s disease last year (my father was then 80) and prescribed medication that didn’t seem to help at all. It wasn’t until I took my father to a neurologist that we learned he actually had a benign brain tumor that was affecting his memory and behavior.
With this in mind, what are some other brain diseases that may be mistaken for Alzheimer’s?
Dementia (Alzheimer's disease) like symptoms can be caused by numerous factors. The following can present as a false positive for Alzheimer's. They can only be ruled out by appropriate testing.
These include:
Severe depression can also cause dementia. This is why medical, neurologic, and psychiatric assessments are essential parts of the initial evaluation of dementia.
- Brain Lesions (tumors, collections of blood called subdural hematomas, and abscesses);
- Infection (meningitis, encephalitis, syphilis, to name a few);
- Impaired cerebral spinal fluid flow causing normal pressure hydrocephalus;
- Metabolic and endocrine abnormalities (too much or too little thyroid hormone or cortisol are examples);
- Radiation to the brain, or brain trauma;
- Stroke;
- and medication side-effects.
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Bob DeMarco is the editor of the Alzheimer's Reading Room and an Alzheimer's caregiver. Bob has written more than 1,750 articles with more than 86,000 links on the Internet. Bob resides in Delray Beach, FL.
Original content Bob DeMarco, the Alzheimer's Reading Room
