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10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer's Disease

10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease, a progressive, degenerative disease of the brain in which brain cells die and are not replaced. According to the Alzheimer's Association, its ten chief warning signs are:

  • Recent memory loss that affects job skills
  • Difficulty performing familiar tasks
  • Problems with language
  • Disorientation of time and place
  • Poor or decreased judgment
  • Problems with abstract thinking
  • Misplacing things
  • Changes in mood or behavior
  • Changes in personality
  • Loss of initiative

Alzheimer's disease is the fourth leading cause of death among American adults, reports the Alzheimer's Association. In addition, the association points out that an estimated 14 million individuals will have the disease by 2050, due to the aging of our population. Though Alzheimer's disease primarily affects adults past age 65 and in their later years of life, physicians are seeing an increase in the number of patients who diagnosed are diagnosed with the disease in their 40s and 50s.

(Source: Alzheimer's Association pamphlet, "Is it Alzheimer's? Warning Signs You Should Know")

Editor's note: For more information on Alzheimer's disease, or to find the chapter of the Alzheimer's Association nearest to you, contact: Alzheimer's Association, 919 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 1000, Chicago, Illinois 60611-1676 USA, Phone: (312) 335-8700, FAX: (312) 335-0214, toll-free phone: 1-800-272-3900. In addition, the Alzheimer's Association has an excellent Web site at: http://www.alz.org/

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