Being diagnosed with AD, or worrying that you may have the disease, can be frightening and may make you feel helpless. It's important for you to know there are many things that can be done to help you manage and to help those who may look after you.

Making the Alzheimer Disease Diagnosis
Currently, there is no test that can diagnose AD with absolute certainty. Your family physician may therefore make a diagnosis of “probable” AD based on family information, a detailed medical history, a thorough physical examination and specialized testing to rule out other possible medical causes. Your family physician may also refer you to a specialist for a consultation about the diagnosis. The specialist may also do other scans, such as CT (computerized tomography) scans and MRIs (magnetic resonance imaging) to take images of the brain.

Early Diagnosis of Alzheimer Disease
Recognizing symptoms early and getting an early diagnosis are extremely important because they create an opportunity to:

• Benefit from existing treatments and thereby reduce or delay the effects of AD
• Plan for the future

Another important reason to obtain an early, accurate diagnosis is to ensure that it is AD and not something else.

Early intervention can help reduce and delay the effects of Alzheimer Disease and can also help minimize the disability that it causes. In addition to benefiting the patient, early diagnosis and treatment can help your caregivers and their families in the overall management of the disease – both by increasing the patient’s function and quality of life, and minimizing the associated stress, anxiety and burden on the caregiver.

Although there is no cure for Alzheimer Disease, various treatment options are available to help manage the disease. In order to understand more about the disease and possible treatments, you need to know a little about what is happening in the brain. The brain is made up of billions of nerve cells, constantly communicating with one another through chemical “messengers”. Research has shown that people with Alzheimer Disease have decreased levels of one of the most important chemical messengers, acetylcholine (pronounced "a-set-al-ko-leen”). Current medicines for treating the disease focus on increasing the levels of acetylcholine. Because they improve the communication between brain cells, these medications can maintain, or improve, memory and the day-to-day functioning of people with Alzheimer Disease.

Treatment plans often include regular visits to a doctor, taking prescribed medications (that focus on increasing the levels of acetylcholine), and finding support from family and community Alzheimer support groups.