possible dementia or Alzheimer's

alztd

My mother is 43 years old. I know this isn't typical of dementia, but she shows symptoms of early stages. She is forgetful. She often gets lost or takes the wrong turn when driving. She struggles to make important decisions. She loses her train of thought a lot. If I change the subject in a conversation, she wil forget the previous topic. She tends to become irritable and anxious easily. Her mind has been really struggling lately. I need advice.

SusanB-dil

Hi alztd - welcome to 'here'...  but sorry for the reason.

Even though it could possibly be 'early onset', it may not be. Please do make sure she gets to the doctor. There are a myriad of other reasons that could be causing those symptoms that are NOT alzheimers or other dementias.  Some causes can be anywhere from vitamin deficiency (especially , Depression, Thyroid issues, medication side-effects, head trauma, hormone issues, liver or kidney issues, certain infections, and there are many more...

alztd

She does have depression. I'm just unsure that depression can cause this severe of a cognitive impairment.

MN Chickadee

Welcome. It does sound like something is going on, that is not normal at her age. Given her age it is really really important for her to get a full work up. Are you an adult and able to guide her along this process? 

Start with her primary doctor, they can do initial screening tests and labs to see if there is something other than dementia causing this. If that doesn't turn anything up I would get a referral to a neurologist. This would be appropriate no matter it is dementia or something else, neurology is the best practice to get a proper diagnosis. As Susan pointed out, there are many things it could be other than Alzheimers especially at her age. You want to rule out stroke, tumor, vitamin and thyroid deficiencies, and much more. Is she resistant to going to the doctor? You or another family member may have to take over a bit. Set up the appointment, finesse the situation to get her to go. Definitely someone go with her so you can give and take information since she may not retain what the doctor tells her. This is also a good time to get her to sign a HIPAA release at the clinic if it isn't done so you or whoever can be in the loop with her doctors. Sometimes our loved ones are afraid to go to the doctor, afraid to hear what is coming or what is wrong with them. You may find it helpful to send the doctor a list ahead of time of symptoms you are seeing at home. These reports from family members are an important piece so they get all the information but it can be hard to report on our loved on in front of them at the office so sending it ahead of time solves that.  Also bring a copy to slip to the receptionist if the doc hasn't seen it when you arrive.  

If legal paperwork is not in order such as power of attorney, the time to do that is now before any diagnosis or any declines if it were to be dementia. She may still be deemed competent to sign one now so that you or another family member can act on her behalf if she becomes unable to make decision for herself. Getting this done ahead of time saves so much time and money in the future. Getting the family to an elder law attorney would be very, very wise to get this done and get all legalities in order.  Since she is so young she may not have done this yet, we don't often think about it in our 40s. 

Good luck and let us know how things go and if you would like more details or advice on any particular challenges.  

alztd

She does not have any thyroid issues. She had blood work for that recently. She does have Non-alcoholic fatty liver. I will keep you guys updated.

mommyandme (m&m)

My first thought is:

White Matter disease also acts like dementia but might be treatable if caught early.  At least the progression can be halted if the cause is identified. 

Sorry for the situation you and yours are in. 

CatsWithHandsAreTrouble

I know severe and untreated depression, stress, and burnout can cause symptoms similar to dementia. I've also heard that UTIs can make women a little off cognitively, though I've heard it more for older women, not sure if that's applicable to someone in their 40s.

I hope you and your mom can figure out what is going on so she can get the correct help. Do you have any other family that she's close to that you can ask for assistance? 

Good luck (((hugs)))