The most important issue in Alzheimer's disease is early diagnosis

Pointing out that Alzheimer's disease increases with age, Neurology Specialist Dr. Güven Arslan said, “The disease can start from very momentary forgetfulness and bring the patient to the point where he/she cannot perform daily activities. We recommend consulting a physician for memory problems in the recent past.”

Acıbadem Kayseri Hospital Neurology Specialist Dr. Güven Arslan gave important information, saying that Alzheimer's disease is a disease in which nerve cells cannot function due to wear and tear over time. Emphasizing that clinical findings are very important in diagnosing Alzheimer's disease, Dr. Arslan said, “First of all, the patient's complaints and examination come to the fore. Afterwards, we investigate the degree of cognitive impairment and memory loss with clinical scales. Afterwards, we take brain imaging with techniques such as MRI and tomography. The disease can start with very simple and momentary forgetfulness and can lead to the inability of the patient to perform daily activities. The person may not even be aware of their forgetfulness.”

Stating that Alzheimer's is a type of dementia and is the most common cause of dementia with an incidence of 50-60 percent, Dr. Arslan said that the disease is more common in women than in men. Pointing out that approximately 50 million people in the world have Alzheimer's disease, Dr. Arslan said that this number will increase even more with the increase in the elderly population, and that 600 thousand families in our country alone are struggling with Alzheimer's disease and the problems it brings with it.

“The most important issue is early diagnosis”

Underlining that the most important issue in Alzheimer's disease is early diagnosis, Dr. Arslan said, “We should never forget this. Because there is a damage process in the brain. If we start treatment before this damage occurs, we can prolong healthy periods. Therefore, I recommend consulting a specialist physician when near memory impairment is detected.”

Stating that the nutrition, daily exercises and activities of an individual diagnosed with Alzheimer's can be completely disrupted, Dr. Arslan said, “We have classical drug treatments in the treatment of the disease. These work by replacing the missing substances in the brain. In newer research, methods that can be used in the very early stages of the disease to prevent brain damage are being developed. It is not yet in widespread use, but promising treatments are coming for the future.”