One day you don’t remember where you put your keys. The next day, you mix up your children’s names. Could your memory loss be a sign of the beginnings ofAlzheimer’s ? In France, 8% of French people over 65 years old are affected, according to the Overcoming Alzheimer’s Foundation.
“THE memory loss benign are linked to natural aging of the brainreassures Professor Maï Panchal, researcher and general director of the Vaincre Alzheimer Foundation. They occur from the age of 50, and sometimes earlier from the age of 30.” These memory losses can have various causes and are not automatically a sign of Alzheimer’s disease. We’ll explain it to you.
What is the difference between Alzheimer’s disease and benign memory loss?
“We rather speak of Alzheimer’s disease when we notice a loss of memory of recent facts or conversations, in particular things that happened on the same day or the day before.”, indicates the researcher, specifying that Alzheimer’s patients have an inability to acquire new information. “These are important and abnormal facts that we forget, for example someone watching a film and no longer remembering the beginning after a few minutes”, specifies Dr. Panchal.
But be careful, memory loss alone is not a sign of Alzheimer’s disease. There are also many different forms of expression of this neurological pathology: it can manifest itself as language disorders, orientation problems, a sudden inability to carry out everyday actions, etc. It can also result in a change in behavior with increasing anger, a person who can no longer tolerate change or even suddenly apathetic behavior. “In a third to a quarter of cases, the first symptoms resemble a sort of depression”, specifies the researcher.
Last difference: in the majority of cases, the patient forgets his own forgetfulness, or minimizes its severity. “Unlike people with benign memory loss, who are completely aware of all their forgetfulness”, specifies Dr. Panchal.
When should you worry and what to do?
The specialist strongly recommends consulting when problems recording new information (or encoding) become bothersome or the patient begins to need others. “It is often a relative or a helping who initiated the first consultation”, she says.
Nevertheless, in 30% of cases with similar symptoms are not Alzheimer’s disease. In case of doubt or excessive anxiety about the situation, a consultation with the doctor to order a blood test can identify possible other causes of memory problems, in particular a thyroid disorder, a deficiency in vitamin B or causes linked to taking a particular medication.
The researcher therefore recommends not immediately panicking about your forgetfulness. “We must accept forgetfulness as we age and learn to live with benign memory disorders.”, she finishes. And above all, continue to take care of yourself to fight against cognitive decline, by practicing physical activity and maintaining social interactions.
Thanks to Dr. Maï Panchal, general director of the Vaincre Alzheimer foundation.