How Is Alzheimer's Disease Diagnosed?

May 4, 2009 -- Question: How is Alzheimer's disease diagnosed?

Answer: [A determination of] Alzheimer's disease is made by what we call a clinical diagnosis. By that we mean there is no blood test; there's no X-ray that says Alzheimer's disease, yes or no. Rather, it's a judgment on the part of your doctor based on information from you, information from people who know you well, and examination -- perhaps a cognitive or a test of your memory and thinking, maybe an imaging scan, like an MRI scan.

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And then, putting all that information together your doctor will come to the conclusion that you do or do not meet criteria for Alzheimer's disease.