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At the moment, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease. That makes early detection even more important because it will allow you to take control of this health risk.

 

Alzheimer’s disease is a very common condition these days. Unfortunately, there is no cure for this disease, which is why for most patients, the focus is on management. If you have Alzheimer’s, learning to manage it and control symptoms is essential for your quality of life. But this isn’t always easy to do, particularly if the disease is further along. That’s why early detection of this health risk is so essential to your long term health and wellbeing.

 

The Importance of Early Detection

Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder. Basically, this means that brain cells start to die or malfunction, causing a decline in memory and cognitive ability. There is no clear cause of Alzheimer’s disease, though some cases can be genetic. This lack of understanding is one of the biggest barriers to finding a solution to this disease.

 

Unfortunately, there is another problem with Alzheimer’s management. At the moment, there are no medications or treatments that can prevent or cure this disease. As a result, if you have Alzheimer’s then you need to focus on management.  This usually includes the following:

 

• Medications to control the symptoms.
• Speech therapy.
• Physiotherapy to retain physical health and function.
• Psychiatric interventions.
• Occupational therapy, which focuses on adapting the environment for limitations as the disease progresses. It also helps patients exercise and retain the skills they need for daily functioning.

 

This multi-disciplinary approach can slow the progress of the disease. However, because the tests for Alzheimer’s are difficult and expensive, many people have the disease for a long time before they get treatment. This means that the disease has lots of time to damage the brain, which impedes management and treatment. If you have Alzheimer’s, overcoming these problems will help you to maintain your quality of life for as long as possible.

 

Detecting Alzheimer’s Disease

There are a number of different ways that Alzheimer’s disease can be detected. This isn’t an exact science, and usually this disease is diagnosed by eliminating other possibilities first. Typically, a doctor will diagnose Alzheimer’s by performing health checks, as well as tests on thinking skills, memory and behavior. However, there is a more accurate way.

 

Alzheimer’s disease can also be diagnosed by detecting the presence of beta amyloid plague and tau tangles in the brain. These substances indicate the organic changes that accompany this disease. However, they also indicate that the brain has already been damaged by the disease. Basically, by the time they appear there is too much damage and interventions will not be able to restore the lost functions. And there are more problems with this test too. It’s also extremely expensive and available only in select medical facilities. All these drawbacks mean that the test is of limited use, especially in early detection.

 

A New Way to Detect Alzheimer’s Disease

Detecting Alzheimer’s disease isn’t an exact science, which is why researchers are always looking for new ways to do it. A recent study has suggested that early detection may be possible using a test that identifies the earliest signs of cognitive decline. The researchers found subjects who had a family history of Alzheimer’s disease and thus were at high risk of it. A control group were also tested to give a comparison.

During the study, the participants were shown sets of 4 images and had to identify the one that was different. The images depicted faces, scenes, real world objects and Greebles, or unique graphic images. Greebles are very difficult to differentiate because they’ve unfamiliar to most people as well as very similar. Both groups performed the same in the objects, faces and scenes tests. However, the at-risk group had trouble with the Greebles test. They identified the different Greeble 78 percent of the time. This is compared with the control group, who identified it 87 percent of the time. This may indicate an early sign of cognitive decline long before other tests would identify a problem.

 

The Takeaway

This test has important implications for early detection and at home monitoring. If the results hold true, it could change the way Alzheimer’s is detected. The test is simple, easy and much more affordable than current tests. It allows for early detection, which would help sufferers to get help early, before the disease has seriously damaged the brain.

 

The technology to perform this test could also be included in an app. This would allow at risk people to monitor their own cognitive function at home. It creates a new and more effective way to manage the personal health risk of Alzheimer’s disease. And it would also allow people who are at risk of this condition to identify any problems early and seek out the help they need.

 

 

If you see signs of a serious health risk, try using HomeLab to keep track of your condition and any preventative measures you take. And if you see signs of a significant problem, you should check with your doctor as soon as possible.

 

 

Tags: early detection, health risk, Alzheimer’s disease