A blood test that can be used to make a precise diagnosis of people with symptoms of dementia is just around the corner.
The test can potentially also determine whether we are at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease years before symptoms appear.
At the same time, it may take several years before a medicine for the disease is available. Needless to say, this poses an ethical dilemma.
What’s the point of knowing that we could develop dementia when there is no cure?
[Researcher Karin Persson] points out that illnesses other than dementia can cause cognitive problems, including depression, burnout, vitamin deficiency, infection or metabolic diseases.
Some of these disorders can be easy to treat, she says.
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“If the most common causes can be ruled out and there is still no good explanation for the patient’s symptoms, then the patient’s physician should proceed with tests and imaging studies of the brain,” she said.
A dementia diagnosis isn’t completely hopeless, because doctors have tools to help, even if the disease itself cannot be stopped.
If you are given this diagnosis and the right treatment and follow-up, you can often function better. For example, you will likely be able to continue with many of your usual activities and stay at home longer, Persson said.
