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Alzheimer’s Disease – Why We Need Early Diagnosis

Alzheimer's disease is the leading cause of dementia. However, neither Alzheimer’s disease nor Alzheimer’s dementia are an inevitable consequence of aging. This review provides an overview of the issues involved in a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease before an individual meets the criteria for A...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Rasmussen, Jill, Langerman, Haya
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Dove 2019
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6935598/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31920420
http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/DNND.S228939
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author Rasmussen, Jill
Langerman, Haya
author_facet Rasmussen, Jill
Langerman, Haya
author_sort Rasmussen, Jill
collection PubMed
description Alzheimer's disease is the leading cause of dementia. However, neither Alzheimer’s disease nor Alzheimer’s dementia are an inevitable consequence of aging. This review provides an overview of the issues involved in a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease before an individual meets the criteria for Alzheimer’s dementia. It examines how Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis rates can be improved, the implications of an early diagnosis for the individual, carer and society, and the importance of risk reduction to prevent or delay progression. Although no disease-modifying agents capable of reversing the initial pathological changes are currently available, it may be possible to prevent or delay the development of dementia in a proportion of the population by modifying exposure to common risk factors. In other individuals, diagnosing the disease or risk of disease early is still valuable so that the individual and their carers have time to make choices and plan for the future, and to allow access to treatments that can help manage symptoms. Primary healthcare professionals play a pivotal role in recognising individuals at risk, recommending lifestyle changes in mid-adult life that can prevent or slow down the disease, and in timely diagnosis. Early intervention is the optimal strategy, because the patient’s level of function is preserved for longer.
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spelling pubmed-69355982020-01-09 Alzheimer’s Disease – Why We Need Early Diagnosis Rasmussen, Jill Langerman, Haya Degener Neurol Neuromuscul Dis Expert Opinion Alzheimer's disease is the leading cause of dementia. However, neither Alzheimer’s disease nor Alzheimer’s dementia are an inevitable consequence of aging. This review provides an overview of the issues involved in a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease before an individual meets the criteria for Alzheimer’s dementia. It examines how Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis rates can be improved, the implications of an early diagnosis for the individual, carer and society, and the importance of risk reduction to prevent or delay progression. Although no disease-modifying agents capable of reversing the initial pathological changes are currently available, it may be possible to prevent or delay the development of dementia in a proportion of the population by modifying exposure to common risk factors. In other individuals, diagnosing the disease or risk of disease early is still valuable so that the individual and their carers have time to make choices and plan for the future, and to allow access to treatments that can help manage symptoms. Primary healthcare professionals play a pivotal role in recognising individuals at risk, recommending lifestyle changes in mid-adult life that can prevent or slow down the disease, and in timely diagnosis. Early intervention is the optimal strategy, because the patient’s level of function is preserved for longer. Dove 2019-12-24 /pmc/articles/PMC6935598/ /pubmed/31920420 http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/DNND.S228939 Text en © 2019 Rasmussen and Langerman. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution – Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/). By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms (https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php).
spellingShingle Expert Opinion
Rasmussen, Jill
Langerman, Haya
Alzheimer’s Disease – Why We Need Early Diagnosis
title Alzheimer’s Disease – Why We Need Early Diagnosis
title_full Alzheimer’s Disease – Why We Need Early Diagnosis
title_fullStr Alzheimer’s Disease – Why We Need Early Diagnosis
title_full_unstemmed Alzheimer’s Disease – Why We Need Early Diagnosis
title_short Alzheimer’s Disease – Why We Need Early Diagnosis
title_sort alzheimer’s disease – why we need early diagnosis
topic Expert Opinion
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6935598/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31920420
http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/DNND.S228939
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