Expert: Paula Damgaard - 9/5/2007

Question
My mother passed away Feb 18, 2007, she had Alzheimer's for over 14 years, I have Hypothyroid disease and am borderline diabetic as well. I am starting to forget things and it seems to take a long time for me to retain new information if at all. I have been terminated from jobs because "I forget too much". I had a hysterectomy pre-menopausal and was wondering what are my chances of getting or having this disease are. Three of my maternal aunts also passed with this disease. What can I do to prevent or slow down its progress. I am a 50 year old woman.

Answer
Kay, first of all I am sorry about your mom.  You are now at the age where forgetting is really showing it's ugly head.  Due to menopause and your additional diseases, hypothyroidism and diabetes, you are probably having a harder time than most women.  It is really important that you make sure you keep your thyroid and your diabetes strictly regulated.  High and low blood sugars can make a person seem demented.  And it isn't a good thing for your brain to be without sugar so keeping your self regulated is really important.  

No one is sure about the hereditary factor with the disease.  If you have absolute proof (an autopsy report is the only way) then your chances of having AD rise a bit.  We all have a 15% chance of developing AD, with a first degree relative, with autopsy, the chances raise to 30%.  

So eat healthy, as if you were preventing heart disease, keep your diabetes and thyroid in control and you should be ok.  

If you are really concerned about yourself, I would suggest that you get a baseline neuropsychiatric testing done.  This is a four hour battery of paper and pencil tests which will tell if you are having any difficulties and in what way.  You can ask your doctor where you can have this done.  Before you do this tho I would also suggest that you look into long term care insurance and see if you are able to get it.  If you do end up with disease, you want to make sure that you can afford to be cared for!  If you do the testing first the insurance companies will pull your records and if they find out that you are "concerned" they will deny you.  

I hope this helps.  Please let me know if you have any other questions.  Paula