``Support measures that can make life easier for patients and their families are extremely important``

``Support measures that can make life easier for patients and their families are extremely important``

Interview with Prof. Dr. Anastasios Chatzikonstantinou on how the most common form of dementia can be diagnosed.

Little is known about the causes of Alzheimer’s disease. Anastasios Chatzikonstantinou, Medical Director of the Acute Neurology and Early Rehabilitation Department at Kliniken Schmieder Allensbach, explains how the most common form of dementia can be diagnosed.

How is Alzheimer’s disease diagnosed?

Chatzikonstantinou: As is often the case, this is primarily a clinical diagnosis. This means that the doctor makes the diagnosis based on the patient’s medical history, a clinical neurological examination, and the results of certain diagnostic tests. However, caution is warranted because memory problems do not always indicate dementia. Moreover, there are various other forms and causes of dementia, although Alzheimer’s dementia is the most common form.

Can you identify any warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease yourself?

Chatzikonstantinou: To a certain extent, as various symptoms may point to it. But, as already mentioned, one should not jump to conclusions — the diagnosis must be made by a physician (usually a neurologist) following appropriate diagnostic evaluation. Possible signs include, for example, growing problems with orientation and memory (particularly short-term memory difficulties), a decline in visuospatial ability, or personality changes. Patients with Alzheimer’s disease have difficulty navigating familiar surroundings, constantly misplace objects, or perform meaningless actions. If such difficulties occur only occasionally, this does not mean you have Alzheimer ‘s-related dementia. It is precisely the continuous accumulation of these abnormalities that is typical of dementia patients. A diagnosis of dementia requires the presence of corresponding impairments in daily functioning.

What is known about the causes?

Chatzikonstantinou: The exact cause remains unknown. Alzheimer’s disease is what is known as a neurodegenerative condition, meaning that nerve tissue is directly affected and dies. In Alzheimer’s disease, plaques and neurofibrillary tangles form in the nerve cells, leading to the death of brain cells. Various proteins play a role in this process. However, why this occurs has not yet been established. In rare cases, there is a hereditary predisposition; in these patients, the disease develops earlier — at age 40 or 50 — than in typical Alzheimer’s patients (over 65).

How is Alzheimer’s disease currently treated?

Chatzikonstantinou: Unfortunately, no causal therapy exists to date. There are certain medications (cholinesterase inhibitors) that can alleviate or slow the onset of symptoms in some patients, though only a proportion of patients benefit from them. Research is ongoing, and certain antibodies are being developed that are intended to have a positive effect on the course of the disease, but no clear breakthrough has occurred as yet.

Nevertheless, rehabilitation measures are extremely important in helping to ease the lives of patients and their families, as are specialist consultations and the timely and well-organised provision of home care.