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How is Alzheimer's disease diagnosed?
Alzheimer's disease is just one of a variety of forms of dementia, the term used to describe a decline in mental ability. Doctors rule out other causes of dementia, particularly those that are treatable. These other diseases can often mimic Alzheimer's disease. Clinical history, neuropsychological testing, laboratory studies and imaging technologies are used to enhance the diagnosis, but unfortunately, other than by examining brain tissue, there is no way to test for Alzheimer's disease in living persons. With time, particularly following several examinations, the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease becomes more certain.
To diagnose Alzheimer's disease, physicians:
- Review the patients' medical history;
- Perform physical, neurological and psychiatric evaluations;
- Perform neuropsychological testing;
- Order laboratory exams.
Sometimes computerized tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or positron emission tomography (PET) are performed on the patient to rule out other, treatable conditions. In specialty centers like the Johns Hopkins Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, this combination of approaches is about 90% accurate in confirming Alzheimer's disease. However, absolute proof for a diagnosis can only be confirmed by examining the brain tissue (in a biopsy during life or a brain autopsy after death).
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