Although a full evaluation of a person with suspected Alzheimer's disease includes blood tests and neuroimaging, and is normally carried out by a specialist, there are a number of simple, quick tests that can be carried out in the primary physician's office. These tests can help decide if a person needs further testing for Alzheimer's disease or if there is another reason behind his complaints.
Cognitive Tests
Many standardized tests that can give a quick indication of the level of cognitive functioning a person has. These tests have a number of parts, some that require direct answers and some that involve completing a task, such as spelling a word backward or copying a shape. These tasks are designed so that several different aspects of a person's abilities can be judged and results are scored to be able to assess the level of impairment. Two such tests are the Mini-Mental State Examination, or MMSE, and the General Practitioner Assessment of Cognition, or GPCOG, both of which take around five to seven minutes.
Symptoms
Simple questioning of the patient and those close to him about common symptoms of Alzheimer's disease can help quickly assess if a person has warning signs that may point to this diagnosis. These symptoms include disruptive memory loss, difficulty in completing tasks, difficulty finding the right words and mood changes. Details of symptoms can be found the Alzheimer's Association's pamphlet "10 Signs of Alzheimer's Disease."
Orientation Test
The GPCOG and the MMSE contain an orientation test that asks a person questions such as what is her name, where does she live, what is the month and year, and can she detail a recent event. This is a useful test as people with Alzheimer's disease are more likely to remember events in their past as opposed to ones that have just happened.
Frontal Lobe Function Test
The clock-drawing test can give a basic look at how a person's frontal lobe is functioning. It may be administered on its own or as part of the GPCOG. A person with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease may make only one or two mistakes when asked to draw a simple clock with the numbers enclosed in a circle and the hands pointing at a specific time. This is because this task is controlled by the frontal lobe that is only affected later on in the course of the disease. Someone with another neurological problem, called frontotemporal dementia, will have greater difficulty completing this task, at an earlier stage in the disorder.
Physical Examination
A number of other reasons may reveal why a person is experiencing Alzheimer's-like symptoms. These can include a stroke, which can be assessed by testing reflexes and physical abilities; hearing or vision problems and side effects of other prescription, over-the-counter or recreational drugs, which can be assessed by referring to a patient's medical history.
References
- "American Family Physician" Early Diagnosis of Dementia; Karen Santacruz and Daniel Swagerty; February 2001
- "Canadian Medical Association Journal" Diagnosis and Treatment of Dementia: 2. Diagnosis; Howard Feldman et al; March 2008
- Alzheimer's Association: Diagnosing Alzheimer's
- Alzheimer's Association: 10 Signs of Alzheimer's
