Alzheimer's disease symptoms are often mistakenly attributed to ageing or stress
The first symptoms are often mistakenly
attributed to ageing or stress Detailed neuropsychological testing can
reveal mild cognitive difficulties up to eight years before a person
fulfils the clinical criteria for diagnosis of AD..These early symptoms
can affect the most complex daily living activities. The most noticeable
deficit is memory loss, which shows up as difficulty in remembering
recently learned facts and inability to acquire new information.
Subtle problems with the executive functions of attentiveness, planning,
flexibility, and abstract thinking, or impairments in semantic memory
(memory of meanings, and concept relationships) can also be symptomatic
of the early stages of AD. Apathy can be observed at this stage, and
remains the most persistent neuropsychiatric symptom throughout the
course of the disease. Depressive symptoms, irritability and reduced
awareness of subtle memory difficulties also occur commonly. The
preclinical stage of the disease has also been termed mild cognitive
impairment, but whether this term corresponds to a different diagnostic
stage or identifies the first step of AD is a matter of dispute.
