Why Are Alzheimer’s Screenings Often Overlooked during Senior Wellness Checkups?

Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most worrying diseases nowadays, mainly because those diagnosed with this disease experience a wide array of mental issues before, and sometimes, eventual death. Yet, there is still a lot that isn’t known about the disease, most importantly, its   cause. What is known are the possible symptoms that take root at the onset of the disease, along with the most likely age group that are largely at risk.

Alzheimer’s is usually characterized with dementia, which means that patients usually experience memory problems and cognitive decline as the disease progresses.Alzheimer’s is one of the primary causes of dementia. In either case, when Alzheimer’s disease sets in, the patients’ mental health becomes impaired and only worsens with the progression of time.

What is Alzheimer’s Disease?

. A lot of time and research has gone into conducting various experiments to gain a better understanding of Alzheimer’s disease. As a result, there are a few points and facts where the disease is concerned that are worth noting.

. First, it has been noted that Alzheimer’s usually affects individuals of a certain age group, namely those who are 65 years of age and above. Also, women are more likely to have it more than men.

. When it comes to the diagnosis of the disease, various screen tests are involved to rule out other possible diseases before the conclusion of Alzheimer’s.

. In the earlier stages of Alzheimer’s, the patients usually experience memory loss of recent events, and this only worsens with time at the same instance other symptoms develop.

. Upon memory loss, patients cannot accomplish personal activities like dressing, eating, or even going to the toilet, among other ordinary tasks.

. Alzheimer’s patients actually forget their loved ones and family members with time and display a wide range of symptoms that show a decline of mental and cognitive function such as lack of focus, communication difficulties, frustration, and mood swings.

Diagnosing Alzheimer’s and dementia

Even though research has shown which symptoms to look out for, it can be inherently difficult to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease primarily because the root of it is not known. What is known is that it attacks old people at the age of 65 and above, but not all individuals in that age group actually contract the disease. All symptoms have been observed to originate from two forms of nerve damage, but what causes nerve damage remains unclear. As a result, the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease is not usually conducted to give conclusive evidence of the disease but rather to rule out all other possible diseases that may cause the same symptoms it displays, and thus, require other forms of treatment. Once other diseases are ruled out through tests like MRIs and CT screenings,  only then can Alzheimer’s be focused on as the primary disease in question.

Why are most doctors overlooking senior wellness checkups?

Recent reports from the Alzheimer’s Association highlight that a substantial number of doctors do not conduct Alzheimer’s screenings for those aged 65 years and above during senior wellness checkups. In contrast, the range of tests conducted only include those that check their level of cholesterol as well as blood pressure. But why is this so? There are a couple of reasons.

A majority of primary healthcare doctors states that there is no clear benefit that comes from conducting screenings associated with Alzheimer’s. In addition to this, the existing evidence of cognitive screening does not serve as sufficient proof where said screening and the accompanying tests do more harm or good to the associated patients. After all, there is much yet to be learned concerning the disease all on its own.

And since such tests are yet to be proven completely beneficial to patients or, on the contrary, severe or harmful in any way, primary physicians do not feel the need to exhaust the limited time they have with their patients on questionable tests. On the other hand, it is better to use that time on proven tests such as those ones that test for heart diseases and related conditions. In any case, it lies within the job description of primary healthcare specialists to know their patients intimately to the extent that they can pick out any symptoms or warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease the instant they have contact with their patients.

Author's Note

The author is the best Neurologist in Dubai and wrote many article about neurology, Psychiatry Psychology & Counselling
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