Advice: Check for Alzheimer's at age 50
Healthcare experts have suggested people receive regular screenings for Alzheimer's disease starting at age 50, when patients often begin to suffer cognitive decline, to grasp the optimal opportunity for intervention and treatment.
They said most patients with Alzheimer's disease do not manifest obvious symptoms until around 70 but in most cases brain changes caused by the disease begin two decades before.
"It's too late for a doctor to determine that a case is Alzheimer's disease rather than normal aging at 70 and it'll become a huge burden for the individual, the family and the social medical system," said Phyllis Ferrell, vice-president of the global Alzheimer's disease team for US pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Co, during a professional gathering, Clinical Trials on Alzheimer's Disease, which was held in Shanghai earlier this month.
