How Is Dementia Diagnosed?

Ever consider how dementia is diagnosed? The painstaking process involves a lot of questions and tests. And coming to a diagnosis, especially in the early stages, can be difficult.

Diagnosing dementia, especially in the early stages, can be difficult. 

Being forgetful doesn’t mean you have dementia. Many people notice that their memory becomes less reliable as they get older. Memory problems can also be the result of sleep deprivation, depression, stress, drug side effects, or other health problems.

“It can be just as important to rule out these other problems or find ways to treat them,” according to the U.K. National Health Service. “Your (general practitioner) will be able to run through some simple checks and either reassure you, give you a diagnosis, or refer you to a specialist for further tests.”

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Symptoms of dementia 

• Difficulty with one or more types of mental function, like learning, memory, language, and judgment
• Changes in a person’s usual abilities (in the U.S. military, soldiers are tested on admission to service to determine a baseline mental function, for comparison if traumatic brain injury is suspected at a later date) 
• Problems managing everyday life responsibilities, like work or family 
• Problems that aren’t caused by another mental disorder, like depression
  

How dementia is diagnosed

The process will begin with your primary doctor asking you questions about your symptoms and other aspects of your health. He or she will also set up blood tests and check on any medications you’re taking, since some can mimic signs of dementia or even cause memory problems. 

A medical evaluation for dementia will also include a neurological exam, brain imaging, and mental status testing.

Among the various types of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common. The most common tool used to screen for dementia is the Mini-Mental State Examination, which consists of neuropsychological tests. The tests involve finding out about possible problems with memory, language, planning, and attention. The person is usually asked questions such as: "What is the date?" or "What city are we in?" 

Since dementia is so difficult to diagnose, you will probably also be referred to a neurologist, gerontologist, or psychiatrist with experience in diagnosing and treating dementia. 

“The process of diagnosing dementia has become more accurate in recent years, and specialists are able to analyze the large amount of data collected and determine if there is a problem, the severity, and, often, the cause of the dementia,” according to the Family Caregiver Alliance. “Occasionally, there may be a combination of causes, or it may take time to monitor the individual to be sure of a diagnosis.”

Doctors will typically make the following evaluations: 

• Asking questions and testing for difficulty with mental functions
• Determining a decline from a previous level of ability
• Looking into impairment of daily life function
• Exploring reversible causes of cognitive impairment, such as illness or infection and hospitalization.

Research on earlier diagnosis

Research on new strategies for earlier diagnosis is among the most active areas in Alzheimer's science. Although diagnostic science lacks validated biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease in living patients (gold-standard diagnostic confirmation requires testing brain tissue samples posthumously), researchers are very active in genetic risk profiling, identifying cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers, such as beta-amyloid and tau, and advanced brain imaging techniques “that will allow clinicians to detect and monitor genetic, metabolic, vascular and cellular changes related to Alzheimer's disease.”

Tests for early detection of amyloid plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease are available. Researchers are also working on blood tests.

Because the information a doctor needs is comprehensive and complex, it’s highly unlikely that he could make a diagnosis during one visit. 

If you are diagnosed with dementia, your doctor will discuss it with you and your family. 

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