Having lossed my wife to a dementia disease early this year I am concerned with the very liberal use of the word Alzheimers to diagnose people suffering from a dementia illness. AD cannot be diagnosed until after death and an autopsy is performed. It is wrong, both technically and morally to constantly use AD as a diagnosed condition of a living person.

ERS,
I feel your pain!! I'm so sorry for your loss. I understand what you are saying about using the AD diagnosis. But what you need to understand is that ALL people with any kind of dementia need a voice and need to be heard!! Naming something gives patients and families a way to discuss signs & symptoms with physicians, families and friends and especially OTHER people out there who are unfamiliar with Dementia Diseases as a whole!! It helps us have a voice in Congress and with the President!! We need more education, help and funding for research!!
Again, I'm sorry for your loss
Lisa 428

It is true that AD can only be diagnosed 100% after death, and that is why it is very common for a diagnosis to be 'probable AD.' That is not only true of AD, but of many other brain disorders. True, it is often used as an umbrella term, but about 85-90% of the time it is correct. Giving this condition a name and keeping it in the public square is vital in any effort to confront it--and all brain conditions. The shame, fear and horror of AD is not easy to accept, but the more the general public hears about it, the more frightened they become that they may be its victim, the sooner there will be a bigger push to fight it. I know how you feel, I lost my Dear Husband to AD, and I'm sorry for your loss, but it is better if it is out in the open. Keeping it quiet will only make it more difficult to diagnose and treat. There is no shame in the diagnosis. It only gives you more strength to fight it.

I was diagnosed with Alzheimer's 10 yrs ago BUT last Dec.rediagnosed with Vascular dementia as I was still doing too good.

There is a short article on the website medscape that says that most elderly brains show pathology, and that most people with dementia show multiple types of brain damage, alz tangles, lewy bodies and multiple infarcts. It suggests that dementia shows up when the multiple brain injuries becomes to much to compensate for. It makes sense to me, since most lung disease and most kidney disease does not show symptoms untill a large portion of those organs are damaged.