Strange visual disturbances may be the first symptom of Alzheimer’s disease in a significant number of patients, according to a new study.
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Strange visual disturbances may be the first symptom of Alzheimer’s disease in a significant number of patients, according to a new study.
The condition, known as posterior cortical atrophy, or PCA, occurs in up to 10% of cases and causes difficulty with vision-related tasks such as writing, judging whether an object is moving or stationary and picking up a dropped item.
Researchers reviewed data from more than 1,000 people and found 94% of those with PCA went on to develop Alzheimer’s disease.
They showed mild or moderate deficits in memory, executive function, behavior and speech within 4 years of initial PCA symptoms.
The remaining 6% of participants developed other forms of dementia, such as Lewy body disease or frontotemporal lobar degeneration.
The researchers say PCA was much more predictive of dementia than memory loss where only 70% eventually receive a dementia diagnosis.
The senior author says, “It’s critical that doctors learn to recognize the syndrome so patients can receive the correct diagnosis, counseling and care."
He says more research is needed to determine why Alzheimer’s is targeting visual rather than memory areas of the brain.
Source:
Lancet Neurology
Author Affiliations:
University of California, San Francisco
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