Cognitive Decline: Correct Treatment Begins With the Right Diagnosis
Cognitive decline affects roughly 20-25% of Americans ages 65 and older. For some it happens gradually and for others rapidly; it may stay the same, be better on some days than others, or steadily get worse, depending on the underlying cause or causes. As with many issues affecting older people, the causes may be multiple and hard to pin down. Cognitive decline can be due to or worsened by medication, alcohol, lack of sleep, organ dysfunction, shifts in hormones, abnormal calcium, sodium or glucose levels, vitamin deficiency, exposure to toxins, head injury, infections, even emotional imbalances like depression and anxiety. Less often, decline is caused by a serious degeneration of the brain’s neurons, what we know as dementia.
For most people, cognitive decline is part of getting older. It’s frustrating, but just as the body ages, so does the brain, affecting memory, recall, lucidity, judgment, even mood. Even mild cognitive decline can present problems, like forgetting the names of people close to you, planned events and directions to familiar places, as well as moodiness, impulsivity and poor decision-making. This impairment may be exacerbated by compounding factors like diabetes, smoking, high blood pressure, obesity and other health issues.
Only about 10% of cognitive impairment cases are a form of dementia caused by a neurodegenerative condition such as Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease in particular has been historically tricky to diagnose. As a result, an estimated 20% of patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s don’t have it, but rather another form of cognitive impairment.
Cognitive decline can be a sensitive – even scary – subject. Few of us want to admit that our memory and mood may be diminishing. But knowing the cause can lead to the right treatment, which can help slow or arrest further decline, and in some cases improve brain function and mood. Getting answers can be the key to living a happier, healthier life going forward.
PET/CT Testing for Cognitive Decline
One important test for cognitive decline is PET/CT testing. PET/CT combines Positron Emission Tomography, which studies abnormalities in brain function, and Computed Tomography, which reveals intricate details about the brain and blood vessels. In a single appointment, PET/CT helps your referring physician and RAI radiologist gain important data, including the level of amyloid plaque within the brain, which can reveal possible causes of impairment. PET/CT can rule out Alzheimer’s disease and aid in an accurate diagnosis so effective treatment can be employed.
RAI’s Board Certified radiology team subspecializes in PET/CT imaging, and maintains ongoing accreditation from the American College of Radiology for an extra measure of accuracy and safety referring physicians and patients expect. We are proud to be eastern Central Florida’s detection specialists.
For more information about PET/CT’s role in diagnosing cognitive decline, please contact us.