Do protein deposits in your brain found by a CT scan mean you have dementia ?

Yes, my husband had a thorough eye exam last month. All he needed was reading glasses. He went to a real opthamologist . Thank you for being here.
My best friends live in the same town and they would do anything for us but I don't want to always be talking about his condition so thank you.

I attended an all-day conference on dementia last month. One of the researchers talked about discrepancies in biomarkers. For example, 85% of the brains of persons with xyz dementia have a certain misfolded protein, or 72% of persons with no signs of any dementia do not have a certain characteristic on a specific DNA cell. What they are looking at very closely now is what about the other 15% or the other 28%, etc. The suspicion is that there are multiple factors that must be in place, and not just one or two, and finding all the factors would be very helpful in structuring cures or preventions.

It sounds like your husband is being very thoroughly evaluated. That is a good thing. But keep in mind that science admits it doesn't know everything it needs to know yet, and being cautious about offering a diagnosis is not a bad thing.

Whatever the tentative diagnosis is, the treatment will try to address the symptoms and behaviors. You are the expert on those!

Keep in touch with us here. There is some comfort in not being alone!

tarajane, that you know something is wrong tells me more than anything else. Family knows before anyone else, so trust your instincts. Big hugs coming your way because I know there is a journey ahead of you.

Some bright person said, "Losing your keys is normal. Not knowing what to do with them when you find them is not." PT could help his posture, which could help his breathing, which could help his brain. All the best,

tarajane, when was the last time your hubby had his eyes checked by an Opthalmologist? Some of the driving and eating problem could be eye related, maybe he needs glasses or if he already wears glasses stronger lenses.... or he might have cataracts forming that is clouding his vision. My Dad hit the curb while driving many years ago, it was eye related.

The shuffling and being hunched over sounds like thinning of the bones. What does his primary doctor say about that?

Is losing things a more recent issue or has he done that most of his life but you are focusing more on it now? My sig other is an absent minded professor and he's been like that most of his life according to this grown children. I know I am now over-thinking since I have learned so much this past year about memory issues... now I think I might have it :P

tarajane, it sounds like a follow-up will be very helpful. They may be able to figure out which type of impairment that he has. Putting together a good healthcare team will probably help you feel much less frightened. I know it is going to be very hard. Do you have family that will want to help? Family can make things better when they pull together.

My husband was shuffling and hunched over. He has fallen numerous times and through the years he has head trauma from falls, wrecks, working with cattle at a stockyards. I just knew something was wrong. He eats very slowly sometimes with his eyes closed. He is 67. His memory is horrible. Always losing things, and I don't think he should drive anymore. He put a large dent on our truck just turning in to a driveway and scraping the mailbox. Not even half mile down the road. I could go on and on but I'm so glad you all are here.I am scared to death.

freqflyer has it right. Some people have plaques and tangles, but no sign of dementia. IMO, symptoms are the most important in diagnosing dementia. Most often a diagnosis of dementia is based on cognitive decline alone and no scan is performed at all. Unless your husband starts to have symptoms I wouldn't worry too much.

tarajane, it is possible for this to be a case by case diagnosis. I remember seeing an article last year where a scan was done on two different individuals... one had noticeable protein plaque but the patient had no signs of memory loss... and the other person had very little plaque and was showing numerous signs of dementia/Alzheimer's.

Curious, is your husband showing more than normal signs of memory issues? Sometimes stress can cause us to become befuddled at time.

They may need to do further testing. If these deposits are blocking blood vessels, then blood circulation can be affected. They may want to check kidney function, to see if kidney failure is the cause. For secondary amyloidosis, the goal is to treat the underlying disease. For example, treating tuberculosis should stop secondary amyloidosis from getting worse. Similarly, controlling the inflammation of rheumatoid arthritis with medications could help to stop inflammation-associated amyloidosis.

I would suggest that you call the doctor who is treating him to get the best possible answer to your question. Write down all of the questions you have before you call, so that you are prepared to get the information you need.

Why were they doing a CT scan?