Can you get alzheimer at 20

They may have trouble understanding something if it is not happening immediately. Sometimes they may forget where they are or how they got there. What's a typical age-related change? Getting confused about the day of the week but figuring it out later. For some people, having vision problems is a sign of Alzheimer's. This may lead to difficulty with balance or trouble reading.

They may also have problems judging distance and determining color or contrast, causing issues with driving. Vision changes related to cataracts. People living with Alzheimer's may have trouble following or joining a conversation. They may stop in the middle of a conversation and have no idea how to continue or they may repeat themselves. They may struggle with vocabulary, have trouble naming a familiar object or use the wrong name e.

For most people with early-onset Alzheimer disease, the symptoms closely mirror those of other forms of Alzheimer disease. Trouble solving basic problems, such as keeping track of bills or following a favorite recipe. The current diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer disease relies on detecting the signs of mental decline noted above. Your healthcare provider can then diagnose Alzheimer disease with a few tests. First, your healthcare provider asks about your health history, and also does cognitive tests of memory, problem solving, and other mental skills.

Depending on the results of the office-based cognitive testing, your provider may also request that you have more detailed testing done with a neuropsychologist. Your provider might also test your blood, urine, and spinal fluid. These give your provider a closer look at brain tissue to show how much damage there is.

In the future, researchers hope that studies on biomarkers will allow experts to diagnose the disease more quickly. Biomarkers are proteins in the body, or other types of markers, that reliably indicate the progress of a disease. Early-onset Alzheimer disease currently has no cure.

But healthcare providers have been successful in helping people maintain their mental function, control behavior, and slow the progress of the disease.

Results have been mixed, but these medicines seem to help people with their symptoms for anywhere from a few months to a few years. Other treatments that may play a role in slowing the progress of early-onset Alzheimer disease include physical activity, cardiovascular and diabetes treatments, antioxidants, and cognitive training. A number of studies are ongoing in this area, and researchers are learning new things about Alzheimer disease every day.

Recently, some evidence showed that detecting the disease early can lead to better treatment options. Early-onset Alzheimer disease can be a difficult disease to cope with. It helps to have a positive outlook and to stay as active and mentally engaged as possible. Rely on your friends and family as much as possible. When the disease is still in its early stages, it's critical to think about the future. This can include financial planning, working with employers on current and potential job responsibilities, clarifying health insurance coverage, and getting all your important documents in order should your health take a turn for the worse.

Although Alzheimer disease has no cure, you can make the best of a bad situation by keeping your mind and your body as healthy as possible. This can include eating a healthy diet, getting regular exercise, cutting down on alcohol, and using relaxation techniques to reduce stress. But what about the other symptoms? Here are tips from a Johns Hopkins expert on what to watch for and how to manage.

As with any disease, it is important to keep an eye on your condition. Call your healthcare provider if you notice any sudden changes in yourself, or in the person you care for, that make additional help necessary.

You can discuss the next steps with your provider. While younger people did have beta-amyloid in their brains, none had an amount consistent with Alzheimer's disease and symptoms of dementia. The study does suggest that people should begin thinking about Alzheimer's prevention earlier rather than later.

Other research has found that people with more educational attainment and those who learn new things throughout life have a lower risk of developing Alzheimer's. We also know that some people with enough beta-amyloid plaques to meet the criteria for Alzheimer's never develop symptoms of dementia. Interestingly, asymptomatic Alzheimer's is more common in highly educated people. It's possible that these people have more cognitive reserve.

Even after they accumulate enough beta-amyloid to develop Alzheimer's, their brains can compensate and delay the onset of symptoms. To protect your brain now, prioritize learning and take the other six steps we recommend for a healthy brain.