Crude, Moody, Aggressive? Could Be Early Signs Of Alzheimer's Disease Or Dementia

Alzheimers' disease and dementia might not always have memory loss as the first sign. One early sign found by experts today is there are sudden behavioral changes in a person. 

Researchers found that a new syndrome can lead to dementia or Alzheimer's disease, called the "mild behavioral impairment." The researchers even provided a checklist of what symptoms of behavioral changes to look out for, as reported by the National Post.  

Examples of the questions in the checklist are if the person suddenly lost an interest in what he or she usually like to do, constantly feeling anxious, becoming aggressive and suspicious, and becoming more crude in the way he or she speaks in public.  

Dr. Zahinoor Ismail of the University of Calgary says that the items on the list were usually considered just the ordinary symptoms of aging. However, he now said that when it comes to early detection of dementia or Alzheimer's disease, memory loss symptoms cannot be considered the main factor anymore. 

"I think we do need something like this," said Nina Silverberg, the director of the Alzheimer's Disease Centers program at the National Institute on Aging. She was not personally involved in creating the checklist or even the suggested new diagnosis.

"Most people think of Alzheimer's as primarily a memory disorder, but we do know from years of research that it also can start as a behavioral issue."

While there is a general excitement over the checklist, experts are arguing as to its benefits and dangers, as reported by NY Times. 

"There's the potential benefit of early diagnosis, identifying people more likely to decline," said Dr. Kenneth Langa, a professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan. However, he added that "the flip side is overdiagnosis, labeling someone and getting people in the clinical cascade, where you start doing the test and people start doing more brain imaging and being at the doctor's more and getting more concerned."

He said that if this becomes routinary, this can become very expensive.

 Still, many are still enthusiastic with what the new tool can do and what the new type of diagnosis can achieve.

"We have to improve our ability to identify people at risk," shared Arthur Toga, a neuroscientist at University of Southern California. According to him, one day, an effective treatment can become by and that uncertainty is not a big problem because "there's too much unknown about this disease anyway."