Odor Test. Investigators are also using the impairment of smell in Alzheimer's disease to develop tests that require patients to distinguish between odors.
Determining Severity after a Diagnosis Has Been Made
Once a diagnosis has been made, some experts observe that certain factors at the time of diagnosis indicate a higher risk for a more rapid decline:
- Older age
- Being male
- The presence of high blood pressure
- Signs of loss of motor control and coordination
- Tremor
- Social withdrawal
- Loss of appetite and severe weight loss
- Accompanying sensory problems, such as hearing loss and a decline in reading ability
- General physical debility
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