BETHESDA, MD. – Alzheimer’s disease is not a one-size-fits-all diagnosis.
As part of a large family of related dementias, it presents some diagnostic conundrums that often make for quite a tricky clinical picture. And with not a single objective diagnostic tool, Alzheimer’s is quite often misdiagnosed, Dr. Gwen Windham said at Alzheimer’s Disease-Related Dementias 2016 Summit, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. The rigors of primary care exert an additional influence on accurate diagnosis, said Dr. Windham of the University of Mississippi, Jackson. These busy jugglers, who have to manage a host of chronic and acute problems, may miss subtle signs and symptoms of an emerging dementia during a visit.
Patients can be tagged with the Alzheimer’s label for years, only to eventually discover their cognitive problems stem from an entirely different disorder. Some, like dementia with Lewy bodies, are incurable and difficult to manage. But sometimes, treatable factors can cause cognitive troubles in “Alzheimer’s” patients. The challenge, of course, is sorting it all out before the years tick by, Dr. Windham said in a video interview.