Alzheimer's misdiagnosed when memory loss is absent
Tuesday 17th May 2011
Doctors commonly misdiagnose Alzheimer's disease if memory loss is not initially present as a symptom, a study has found.
Research published in journal Neurology found that 38 per cent of patients originally experience atypical symptoms of the condition, including blurred vision, changed behaviour and slurred language.
Around 53 per cent of people with these symptoms were misdiagnosed, with 47 per cent still diagnosed wrongly at their time of death.
This was compared to the four per cent of those with typical memory-loss symptoms at the time of their death.
Albert Llado, study author, said: "Biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease and other disorders are needed for us to better recognise, diagnose and treat early onset Alzheimer's disease sooner to improve the quality of life of these patients."
Meanwhile, a study published in journal Neurobiology of Aging revealed that two proteins involved in Alzheimer's disease work together to adversely affect the energy centres of cells.
Written by Mathew Horton
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