A new definition of Alzheimer’s disease could help more people be diagnosed earlier.
Doctors have proposed basing the diagnosis on signs such as brain changes, rather than symptoms such as memory loss. Currently, health care providers test for the disease indirectly by looking at a person’s medical history and running basic lab work and scans.
Recently published findings suggest more intense scans would show signs of Alzheimer’s 15 to 20 years before symptoms appear.