line typical of Alzheimers disease is the flip side of normal skill acquisition by infants, children, and young adults (Alzheimers.com). Currently doctors cant diagnose Alzheimers disease with 100 percent certainty until a brain autopsy after the persons death reveals the diseases markers: abnormal clumps and irregular knots of brain cells. So diagnosis of Alzheimers rests largely of the judgement of physicians experience in dealing with dementing illness. But that judgement has become quite sophisticated. Experts estimate current diagnostic accuracy at around 90 percent (Alzheimers.com).Most people with Alzheimers live for seven to ten years after diagnosis, and spend about five years under vigilant care either at home or in a nursing home. More than 70 percent of people with Alzheimers live at home (Alzheimers.com).Some possible though not definitive - tests for Alzheimers disease include brain scans and pupil dialation. New brain imagining technologies: positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), can help diagnose early stages of Alzheimers disease, but by themselves, they are not definitely diagnostic (PlanetRx). The pupil dialation test is based of dialation of the pupil of the eye. In routine ophthalmologic exams using standard chemicals to dialate the pupil, the pupils of people with Alzheimers disease seem to dialate unusually quickly (PlanetRx).Although currently there is no drug that can cure Alzheimers, families need to consider several options in ongoing treatment of the person with Alzheimers. The primary care physician should be intricately involved in making recommendations about medications that may slow or temporarily delay progression of the disease, such as, Donepezil and Cognex. Additionally, if there are medical or behavioral symptoms that are treatable, such as agitation or depression, options are available that may provide relief for the patient and allay som...
