Diagnosing Alzheimer's Disease
Forgetfulness Doesn't Always Mean Senility
Alzheimer's Disease is a terrible illness. Many people are terrified that forgetful episodes mean they are developing this disease.
People forget where their keys are in the morning and can't remember what they went upstairs for during the afternoon. Immediately, they begin to fear that they have early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. Before the person with memory problems panics, he or she should take some time to do an evaluation of things that are currently going on. Forgetfulness doesn't always mean the person being affected has developed Alzheimer's disease. Consider a few other things before deciding that this terrible disease of the mind is the reason behind forgetful episodes.
Reasons People Are Forgetful
Alzheimer's disease certainly is a big cause of forgetfulness. However, there are a few other reasons that people start to lose track of all the little details:
- Lack of sleep - If someone isn't sleeping well, his or her brain is not operating as well as it should be. Simple exhaustion can cause people to forget things, especially if they aren't really important. Forgetting whether you are married is serious. Forgetting to buy ice cream when you came to the store just to get it, eggs and hamburger is not. Remembering an entire list of things when you aren't tired can be hard, especially when you are in a rush to get in and out of the grocery store.
- Stress - Stress is a major cause of forgetful behavior. When someone is worried or overextended, it is hard to focus on all of the little details.
- Vitamin deficiencies - It seems too simple to be true, but a lack of certain vitamins can give a person quite a few symptoms that are similar to those that Alzheimer's victims develop. Before anyone accepts a diagnosis of Alzheimer's, he or she should ask for a few tests to be run so that the doctor can rule out an easy to remedy deficiency.
- Over-hydrating - This cause of forgetfulness actually is closely tied with vitamin deficiencies. People do need water to stay healthy, but too much of a good thing can cause the body to lose important nutrients as the system is constantly flushed out.
- Illness - Lyme disease and many other illnesses and diseases can make people forget all kinds of things, including basic math skills. Before a person decides that this sharp plunge in mental abilities is permanent, he or she should ask a doctor to run tests to rule out Lyme, thyroid problems, etc.
Of course, forgetfulness is still an important early symptom of Alzheimer's disease. If the person with memory problems is forgetting whether he or she has a husband or children, something is seriously wrong. Someone also shouldn't be forgetting where he or she lives and works or how to turn on a stove.
