[Medical Q&A] Is forgetfulness a sign of Alzheimer's disease?

Planner: Chinese Medical Association

Reviewer: Tian Jinzhou, Chief Physician, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine

Occasional forgetfulness may be caused by stress or fatigue and does not necessarily mean Alzheimer's disease. However, frequent and gradual memory loss may be one of the early signs of Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease, also known as "senile dementia", is the most common type of dementia in clinical practice. The main manifestations are gradual memory loss, cognitive impairment and mental symptoms. Memory impairment or amnesia is the early manifestation of Alzheimer's disease, mainly characterized by recent memory loss. People cannot remember what just happened or what they just said, and sometimes they ask the same question repeatedly, but they can remember things that happened when they were young.

The disease gradually develops into a comprehensive intellectual decline, and the patient has language difficulties, manifested as a decrease in vocabulary, frequent misspokenness, mixing up things, inability to accurately express one's own ideas, and sometimes inability to fully understand what others say; the patient has difficulty distinguishing time and place, often mistaking morning and afternoon, and the date, and goes to the wrong place in the room, and cannot find the way home when he goes out; he does not recognize people and cannot even name his familiar family members; his calculation ability decreases, he often makes mistakes in calculations, and cannot even complete the simplest arithmetic; his ability to understand and arrange things reasonably decreases, he often loses things, and lacks organization in doing things.

The patient eventually develops mental symptoms, emotional instability, and abnormal behavior. At this time, the patient is prone to anxiety, depression, and temper tantrums; his personality changes, becoming selfish and suspicious, suspecting his children of stealing his belongings and hiding worthless things as treasures; he does not care about others and does not pay attention to hygiene; he is easily excited and makes a lot of noise, especially at night, which brings a lot of difficulties and pressure to the caregivers.

If you or your family members have similar symptoms, it is recommended that you seek medical attention promptly for a detailed evaluation and timely intervention.