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EspañolAlzheimer's symptoms: What are the early signs of Alzheimer's?
Overview: What does Alzheimer's look like?
Alzheimer’s is a neurological disease that causes dementia, a progressive loss of mental function. Thinking, memory, concentration, language, focus, emotions, sleeping, and relationships are all eventually affected. The initial signs of Alzheimer’s may be subtle, almost indistinguishable from normal aging issues like memory lapses, misplacing objects, and problems concentrating or thinking. As the disease progresses, people steadily lose the ability to manage daily tasks like paying bills, buying groceries, cooking meals, or driving. Eventually, even simple tasks will become unmanageable, and part-time or full-time care will be needed.
Key takeaways:
Alzheimer's is a common health condition that can affect anyone regardless of sex, race, or ethnicity. Find updated Alzheimer's statistics here.
Early signs of Alzheimer's include a slight decline in daily functioning, forgetfulness, language problems, loss of interest in activities, depression, social withdrawal, poor decision-making, reduced inhibition, and sometimes problems walking or a tendency to trip or fall.
Symptoms of Alzheimer's that result in severe injury or pain may require immediate medical attention.
Alzheimer's is caused by the death of nerve cells due to a complex process. The risk of developing Alzheimer's symptoms increases with age or if you have a family history of dementia. Other risk factors include head injury, stroke, heart disease, smoking, and a history of depression.
Alzheimer's requires a medical diagnosis.
Alzheimer's generally requires treatment. Alzheimer's symptoms typically slow down with treatment, but the disease is not curable.
Treatment of Alzheimer's may include cholinesterase inhibitors, memantine, antipsychotics, anti-amyloid beta monoclonal antibodies, lifestyle therapies, mental stimulation therapies, occupational therapy, and exercise programs. Read more about Alzheimer's treatments here.
Whether treated or untreated, Alzheimer's could result in complications like injuries, malnutrition, infections, mood disorders, psychosis, and death.
Use coupons for Alzheimer's treatments like Aricept (donepezil), Razadyne (galantamine), and Namenda (memantine) to save up to 80%.
What are the early signs of Alzheimer's?
The earliest signs of Alzheimer’s include a noticeable increase in forgetting recent events, words, and well-remembered facts. However, occasional forgetfulness is a normal aspect of aging, so memory problems due to Alzheimer’s may sometimes go ignored. However, Alzheimer’s will eventually affect other parts of the brain, so early warning signs of Alzheimer’s may also include problems with thinking as well as emotional, social, behavioral, and walking problems.
Healthcare professionals primarily base a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s on how much those symptoms affect daily functioning. Functional declines are the most distinctive early signs of Alzheimer’s:
Forgetting to pay bills or take medicines
Forgetting to perform routine daily tasks
Forgetting where everyday objects are located
Feeling occasionally disoriented
Difficulty completing daily chores or complex tasks
Difficulty driving
Losing track of the day of the week
Difficulty concentrating
Difficulty making plans
The earliest cognitive signs of Alzheimer’s include:
Short-term memory loss
Forgetting the right words when talking
Difficulty understanding familiar words or phrases
Early social and behavioral signs of Alzheimer’s include:
Loosened inhibitions
Poor decision-making
Avoiding friends, family members, groups, or work
Being less spontaneous
Early emotional symptoms of Alzheimer’s include:
Apathy
Loss of interest
Depressed mood
Early movement symptoms of Alzheimer’s could include:
Problems with walking
Increased tendency to fall
Other Alzheimer's symptoms
Symptoms of Alzheimer’s gradually get more severe over time. As with initial symptoms, people will have problems with thinking (cognitive symptoms), emotions (psychiatric symptoms), relating to others, behavior, and moving. Alzheimer’s will also affect sleep in its more advanced stages. Daily functioning will gradually worsen.
The cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer’s progressively worsen from short-term memory loss to complete loss of language, orientation, and memory:
Forgetting recent events
Struggling with finding the right words
Forgetting the meaning of words
Forgetting how to complete tasks
Disorientation
Mispronouncing words or phrases
Understanding and using fewer words
Loss of language
Inability to recognize people
Being unaware of people, time, or surroundings
The emotional and psychiatric symptoms may also get progressively worse and include fear, paranoia, and hallucinations:
Apathy or listlessness
Depressed mood
Anxiety
Depression
Fearfulness
Mood swings
Paranoia
Delusions
Hallucinations
The social and behavioral changes due to Alzheimer’s typically begin with social withdrawal and some loss of inhibitions, restraint, and judgment. In the most advanced stages, people with Alzheimer’s can become angry, frustrated, aggressive, hard to control, and unresponsive to other people.
Withdrawal from people, social activities, and work
Loss of inhibition and restraint
Poor judgment, decision-making, and problem-solving
Loss of empathy
Frustration
Aggression
Tantrums and explosive anger
Wandering
Little or no response to other people
Alzheimer’s also affects the ability to move. This first shows up as problems walking and an increased tendency to fall or trip. As the disease progresses, people with Alzheimer’s will start losing control of their movements:
Walking problems
Falls
Repetitive and purposeless movements
Problems swallowing
Incontinence
Parkinson’s disease symptoms
Seizures
Sleep problems are common in the later stages of Alzheimer’s:
REM sleep behaviors such as kicking, punching, or moving while dreaming
Changes in the sleep-wake cycle
Alzheimer's vs. other causes of dementia
Alzheimer’s is the leading cause of dementia, accounting for seven out of every 10 cases. However, other causes of dementia include Lewy body dementia, vascular dementia, Parkinson’s disease, frontotemporal dementia, and infectious proteins. These types of dementia have symptoms similar to Alzheimer’s, but the symptoms vary in their focus, onset, and speed at which they worsen.
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RELATED: Dementia symptoms: what are the early signs of dementia?
Stages of Alzheimer's
Alzheimer’s has three stages preceded by an asymptomatic preclinical stage. These stages map out the progressive worsening of brain function. They do more than describe the severity of the symptoms. These stages also help guide treatment in all its aspects:
Preclinical Alzheimer’s disease: The brain changes that eventually evolve into Alzheimer’s usually happen ten years or more before symptoms appear. During this stage, nothing seems out of the ordinary other than normal declines in brain function due to age.
Mild Alzheimer’s: In the early stage of Alzheimer’s, changes to the brain start affecting daily life even though there’s only mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Problems with short-term memory and learning are enough of a problem to interfere with daily life. People may forget what day it is to perform daily tasks, or how to do more complex tasks. Judgment starts to decline, but social functioning is usually pretty good. Everyday daily chores and hobbies become harder to do. People can still care for themselves in this stage but may sometimes need prompting to bathe, dress, or eat.
Moderate Alzheimer’s: In this middle stage, memory loss is more severe, and short-term memory loss can be debilitating. People are usually confused about the time and often about where they are. They lose the ability to solve problems and often do the wrong things. They don’t recognize people they’ve recently met. They show less restraint in their behavior, and outbursts are more common. They will need someone else to carry out daily chores like cleaning and require assistance with personal care, dressing, and bathing. However, they are usually well enough to go outside the home or care facility with a caretaker. They can only do the simplest chores and typically no longer engage in hobbies or other interests.
Severe Alzheimer’s: Memory loss is severe, and most language has been lost in the last stage of the disease. People with severe dementia don’t recognize most people and may not recognize their primary caregiver. They usually don’t respond to people and may be unaware of their presence. They lose the sense of what time it is or where they are. They cannot perform chores, tasks, personal care, or eat without significant help. Their engagement in activities is minimal.
When to see a doctor for Alzheimer's symptoms
If Alzheimer’s symptoms are noticed, see a doctor, especially for a decline in daily functioning. This is often a frightening decision to make. Nobody wants to hear that they have Alzheimer’s. However, the symptoms could be due to something else that may be treatable, like medication side effects. If the problem is Alzheimer’s, some treatments can slow the progress of the disease. Additionally, an early diagnosis will allow the person with Alzheimer’s and their loved ones to start planning for the future.
Diagnosis requires a thorough medical history and a physical and neurological examination. Healthcare providers will usually interview family members, friends, or caregivers to get a complete picture of what’s going on. A battery of tests will be used that measure functional, cognitive, behavioral, and mood symptoms. These tests are the most reliable tools for diagnosing Alzheimer’s. Sometimes CT or MRI scans of the brain are used to look for signs that suggest Alzheimer’s and to rule out other causes. A spinal tap for certain biochemical markers of Alzheimer’s may be conducted, but this is not definitive in making a diagnosis.
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Complications of Alzheimer's
Dementia is a progressive condition. With or without treatment, the complications of Alzheimer’s dementia include:
Depression
Infections
Poor nutrition
Injuries and fractures
Psychosis
Incontinence
Death
How to treat Alzheimer's symptoms
Alzheimer’s symptoms can be improved, and the progress of dementia can be slowed through certain medications, including cholinesterase inhibitors, memantine, and monoclonal antibodies Aduhelm (aducanumab) and Leqembi (lecanemab), which target the protein that kills brain cells in Alzheimer’s patients. To help with behavior concerns, healthcare professionals may prescribe antipsychotic medications.
Other Alzheimer’s treatments might include antidepressants, benzodiazepines, and mood stabilizers to treat mood or behavior. Therapies that don’t involve drugs include structured exercise programs, mental stimulation therapies (music therapy, cognitive stimulation, leisure activities), and occupational therapy.
RELATED: Alzheimer’s and dementia medication management
Living with Alzheimer's
Unfortunately, Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease. Symptoms and deficits will gradually worsen over time. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, the key aspects of living with and managing the disease include:
Finding help for emotional needs such as family members and support groups
Sharing the diagnosis and enlisting the help of family and friends
Identifying community and other resources to provide supportive services
Making legal and financial plans for the future
Planning for future part-time and full-time care
Making safety plans, including safety-proofing the house, getting a medical ID bracelet, and carrying an emergency call device
Reducing stress
Staying active and engaged
Most importantly, see a doctor
The first symptoms of Alzheimer’s are usually memory problems. Don’t ignore them. They may be a sign of a treatable illness or typical aging, but they may be a sign of Alzheimer’s. A healthcare professional can determine the cause and start the appropriate treatment.
FAQs about Alzheimer's symptoms
What are the 4 A’s of Alzheimer’s symptoms?
The 4 A’s of Alzheimer’s symptoms are amnesia, aphasia, apraxia, and agnosia. These are all medical terms to describe clusters of symptoms: memory loss symptoms, language loss symptoms, decreased ability to carry out tasks, and the inability to recognize what is seen or heard.
What are the symptoms of early-onset Alzheimer’s?
Alzheimer’s typically starts in the parts of the brain responsible for memory, so memory loss problems are generally the earliest warning signs of Alzheimer’s. These problems might be memory lapses, misplacing things, forgetting the right word, or forgetting recently learned information. As the disease progresses, it involves other parts of the brain that deal with language, thinking, reasoning, social behavior, and movement.
What are the symptoms of the final stages of Alzheimer’s?
In the late stages of Alzheimer’s, symptoms are so severe that the person loses the ability to perform daily activities. At the very end, people with Alzheimer’s usually cannot speak or understand language, recognize what they see or hear, recognize other people, or even be aware of their surroundings or the time.
What’s next? Additional resources for people with Alzheimer's symptoms
Test and diagnostics
Alzheimer disease, StatPearls
Dementia severity scale, Alzheimer’s Association
Evaluation of suspected dementia, American Family Physician
What are the signs of Alzheimer’s disease, National Institute of Aging NIH
Treatments
Alzheimer disease: pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic therapies for cognitive and functional symptoms, American Family Physician
Treatment of Alzheimer disease, American Family Physician
Scientific studies and clinical trials
Alzheimer disease: epidemiology, diagnostic criteria, risk factors and biomarkers, Biochemical Pharmacology
More information on related health conditions
Dementia treatments and medications, SingleCare
Dementia: what are the early signs of dementia, SingleCare