Early signs of Alzheimer's disease

Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
Updated on June 27, 2025
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Patients with dementia manifest a noticeable decline in memory. Many patients or their families regard this as a normal age-related phenomenon and do not pay much attention, resulting in delayed treatment and lack of timely intervention, which may lead to severe clinical consequences. Therefore, it is very important to pay attention to dementia and its early signs. The early signs of dementia mainly include mild memory impairment. For instance, patients might occasionally forget where they have placed things, such as forgetting where a wallet was placed in the bedroom. These occurrences, while sporadic, do not significantly impact daily life. Thus, it is crucial to take these signs seriously and intervene early, including consulting a neurologist. Additionally, other early signs of dementia may include a decline in learning ability and work efficiency, which could also indicate early symptoms of the condition.

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Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
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symptoms of dementia in the elderly

The symptoms of dementia mainly include: First, impaired memory function, where the patient’s memory loss is very noticeable. Initially, they may not remember recent events, and as the disease progresses, they may not remember past events, such as forgetting how many children they have or their children’s names. Second, it mainly involves symptoms of impairment in other cognitive areas, such as visual spatial dysfunction, manifesting as not being able to find the bathroom at home, getting lost after going out, and not being able to find the way back home. Additionally, the patient's ability to understand, calculate, and judge will also be significantly impaired, and they cannot master previously learned knowledge and skills. Third, in the late stages, some psychiatric symptoms appear, including visual and auditory hallucinations, and agitated behaviors such as hitting and cursing. Additionally, the patient may also experience some physical weakness, muscle atrophy, and incontinence.

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Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
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Symptoms of dementia in the elderly

Dementia in the elderly is medically known as Alzheimer's disease, which is categorized into mild, moderate, and severe stages. The clinical manifestations vary with the severity of the disease. Mild dementia primarily presents as memory impairment, starting with a decline in short-term memory, where patients often forget daily activities. For instance, they might forget the way home when they go out, forget to add salt when cooking, or forget to turn off the stove. Patients may also exhibit personality disorders, such as neglecting personal hygiene or not wanting to bathe. As the disease progresses to moderate dementia, besides worsening memory impairment, the patient's ability to work, learn new knowledge, and communicate with others significantly diminishes. There is a notable decline in previously acquired knowledge and skills, such as judgment and calculation abilities. They may also experience aphasia, apraxia, agnosia, and some patients may exhibit significant behavioral and psychological abnormalities. With further progression to severe dementia, patients may become emotionally detached, exhibit unpredictable crying or laughing, fail to recognize family members, lose verbal abilities, and even become unable to perform simple tasks such as dressing or eating. They may spend their days in bed, not speaking, and gradually lose contact with the outside world, ultimately leading to death.

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Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
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How is Alzheimer's disease treated?

Senile dementia, also known as Alzheimer's disease, is the most common neurodegenerative disease worldwide. The pathogenesis of this disease is not particularly clear so far and may be related to genetic and environmental factors. Multiple factors act on neurons causing irreversible and progressive death of neuronal cells. Currently, the treatment of this disease mainly includes two aspects. The first aspect is general treatment, mainly including family care. Family members must pay attention to the care of the patient, prevent the patient from accidentally wandering off, prevent the patient from falling, and prevent some accidents that cause injuries. In addition, it is important for the patient to listen to music, interact with others, and exercise more, all of which can delay the progression of senile dementia. The second aspect is pharmacological treatment, mainly using drugs that inhibit the reduction of acetylcholine. These drugs can increase the content of acetylcholine and improve the cognitive functions of patients to a certain extent, but so far, these treatments cannot reverse senile dementia.

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Written by Tang Li Li
Neurology
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Methods for Examining Dementia in the Elderly

The examination of dementia mainly includes the following aspects. First, it is to determine whether the patient has cognitive impairment, because in the early stages of dementia this impairment is often mild, primarily in recent memory, with other aspects not yet obvious. Early screening can use some cognitive evaluation scales, such as the Mini-Mental State Examination or the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, chosen according to the patient's cultural level. Second, imaging examination, commonly using brain MRI, can reveal significant signs of dementia such as deepened brain sulci, narrowed gyri, and widened lateral fissures, indicating brain atrophy. Third, genetic testing for the APOE gene, which may be related to dementia. Possession of this gene may increase the likelihood of developing dementia in the future, serving as an auxiliary diagnostic measure.

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Written by Tang Bo
Neurology
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What is dementia called?

The commonly mentioned senile dementia, also known as Alzheimer's disease, is the most common type of dementia. Its incidence generally increases in people over the age of 65 and continues to increase with age. It is a degenerative disease, with risk factors including age and gender, usually higher in women than in men. It is also related to educational level, whether there has been trauma, genetics, thyroid function, exposure to toxic substances, as well as vascular factors. Diabetes and depression are also risk factors for senile dementia.