To diagnose Alzheimer’s disease and assess its severity, doctors may use tests to assess memory, for example, a neurologist who memorizes 10-12 words, director of the Neurological Diseases Clinic. AND ME. Kozhevnikov Sechenov University, Professor Vladimir Parfyonov.
“Suppose we are asked to remember five words: “grasshopper” – “truck” – “plate” – “lemonade” – “cinema”. If the patient forgot the word “grasshopper”, the doctor asks: Did we have some kind of insect? If the tips help, this is a part of the norm But for a patient with Alzheimer’s disease, a semantic clue doesn’t work. What is a “grasshopper” for him, what is an “ant,” what is a “cockroach. He usually doesn’t remember the word after a few minutes,” explained the neurologist.
After such a test, the degree or absence of dementia becomes clear. If the results do not fall outside the normal range, but the patient complains of memory impairment, the diagnosis is “subjective cognitive impairment”.
“If the results show a slight decline in memory and other cognitive functions, then a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment is made. A “significant cognitive impairment (dementia)” is determined by severe impairment of memory and other cognitive functions, Parfenov concluded.
For more information on whether early detection of Alzheimer’s disease is now possible, what tests allow it, why this diagnosis is so rare in Russia, and what needs to be done to slow the approaching dementia around the world. disease, cf. report “socialbites.ca”.