This holiday season, you may be visiting aging family and friends you usually don鈥檛 see. So how do you know if physical changes like memory loss are normal aging or something more serious?

Forgetfulness and aging often go hand-in-hand, and the holiday craze and other stressful circumstances听can make matters worse. 听鈥淪tressful situations and life-changing events have been linked to mild cognitive impairment,鈥� says Dr. Mariana Dangiolo, assistant professor of internal medicine at the 麻豆原创 College of Medicine and a geriatric medicine specialist at 麻豆原创 Pegasus Health, the college鈥檚 physician practice. 听鈥淯nfortunately, the fear of conditions like Alzheimer鈥檚 disease prevents many people from discussing memory loss with their doctors.鈥� 听

Understanding the听difference听between normal aging and more serious memory conditions is one step in reducing stress.

Dr. Dangiolo says slight memory loss as one ages can be expected, especially in certain conditions. She says approximately 60 percent of women undergoing perimenopause and menopause report difficulty remembering everyday information like names and phone numbers…or why they walked into a room. Other normal age-related memory loss can include sometimes forgetting names, but remembering them later; misplacing things from time to time like glasses and keys; sometimes having trouble finding the right word; and developing very specific ways of doing things and becoming irritable when routines are disrupted.

Common early signs of Alzheimer鈥檚 are more severe and specific. They can include:

  • 听Memory loss, especially when it comes to new information
  • Challenges in planning or solving problems (following a familiar recipe, keeping track of monthly bills, etc.)
  • Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work or during leisure activities
  • Confusion about times and places
  • Trouble understanding visual images and special relationships
  • New difficulties when speaking or writing

    • If you are experiencing symptoms of memory loss, don鈥檛 automatically assume the worst. Approximately 15 percent of people will transition from having mild cognitive impairment 鈥� changes that are serious enough to be noticed by the patient and other people 鈥� to early stage Alzheimer鈥檚 disease. However, according to Dr. Dangiolo, numerous drugs also have been shown to produce mild cognitive impairment and may create or aggravate Alzheimer’s-type symptoms.

    Most of the drugs that cause mild cognitive impairment include a property called “anti-cholinergic.” These medications are used for relieving intestinal cramps or bladder irritability and are labeled “anti-spasmodic.鈥澨� There are 17 additional types of drugs used for many other purposes that also may have anti-cholinergic effects, such as antiemetics, antihistamines, acid blockers, antiparkinsonian drugs, antidepressants, muscle relaxants and antipsychotics.

    To accurately diagnosis clinical memory loss, a neuropsychological evaluation is recommended. If you鈥檝e noticed a recent change in your memory, contact your doctor. He or she can evaluate your overall health to determine whether any medical conditions may be affecting your memory. While there are no 鈥渃ures鈥� for memory loss, doctors can help manage the symptoms and sometimes even slow the progression.

     

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