Increasingly forgetful? There are benefits to finding out why

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

ROCHESTER, Minn. — What you don't know about Alzheimer's disease could hurt you, according to the July issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource. That's why it's important to seek medical attention if you experience warning signs of Alzheimer's disease:

• Increasing and persistent forgetfulness


• Difficulty performing familiar tasks


• Problems with finding the right words to express your thoughts


• Disorientation with time and place


• Poor or impaired judgment


• Problems with abstract thinking


• Putting everyday items in illogical places


• Mood, behavior or personality changes

Forgetfulness and confusion also can be caused by diabetes, thyroid disease, depression, drug interaction or even vitamin deficiencies. These symptoms may also indicate the presence of another form of dementia. Although treating these problems may not fully reverse memory impairment, knowing what's wrong can benefit your overall health and help keep other medical problems from developing.

If you have Alzheimer's or another form of dementia, the sooner you're evaluated and diagnosed, the more options you're likely to have in improving your symptoms.

While Alzheimer's is a progressive disease with no known cure, drugs may slow the progression of the disease or improve symptoms. And an early diagnosis may give you the opportunity to be involved in making important legal, financial, social and medical decisions that will affect you and your family.

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About Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic is the first and largest integrated, not-for-profit group practice in the world. Doctors from every medical specialty work together to care for patients, joined by common systems and a philosophy of "the needs of the patient come first." More than 3,700 physicians, scientists and researchers and 50,100 allied health staff work at Mayo Clinic, which has sites in Rochester, Minn; Jacksonville, Fla; and Scottsdale/Phoenix, Ariz. and community based providers in more than 70 locations in Southern Minn., Western Wis. and Northeast Iowa. These locations treat more than half a million people each year. To obtain the latest news releases from Mayo Clinic, go to www.mayoclinic.org/news. For information about research and education, visit www.mayo.edu. MayoClinic.com is available as a resource for your health stories.