My grandmother suffered through several difficult years of Alzheimer's. This was back in the mid-90's. At the time, doctors said that Alzheimer's can only be positively identified after death. I believe this is mostly still true today. However, so much research has been done as to the effects of the disease, that an almost certain diagnosis of Alzheimer's can be made by simply studying the behavior of a person.  

There is a fair amount of evidence that supports the idea that the disease is genetic. I know that I am closely following the rapid advances being made in the detection and treatment of the disease. I know that researchers have been able to cure lab animals of the presence of "plaques" in their brains. These are the physical indicators used to diagnose the disease in humans after death. However, they don't know whether the plaques cause the disease, or are merely a symptom.

  ----- Original Message -----
  From: dana tierney
  To: CF-Community
  Sent: Monday, August 30, 2004 2:31 PM
  Subject: Re: schizophrenia.

  <snip>.

  As for Alzheimer's... my great-aunt, who had Alzheimer's, just died of
  a stroke. Her sister, my grandmother, also had Alzheimer's and died of
  a stroke. Hmm. Makes me wonder if the original problem in both cases
  was perhaps a stroke??? Alzheimer's is becoming shorthand for a
  dementia in the elderly, but as far as I know there is still no way to
  diagnose it in the living except by exclusion....though if anyone here
  knows otherwise, I'd love to hear about it, as the rest of the family
  has adopted a mantra of we don't *know* that it's genetic, we don't
  *know* that it's genetic :)

  LOL

  Dana
  <snip>
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