ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE CAN BE MISDIAGNOSED!
Loss of memory for recent events, mental slowness, depression, dementia, deafness, weight loss, weakness, “rheumatism,” constipation, and incontinence in an elderly person are usually regarded as unavoidable features of aging. Some older people who have these symptoms, however, may be suffering from hypothyroidism (abnormally low hormone output by the thyroid gland), the Western Journal of Medicine (143:643) reports.
In young people, mental slowness nearly always arouses suspicion of thyroid disease, but in older people it is usually blamed on Alzheimer’s disease. Hypothyroidism, of course, is a much more desirable diagnosis since, unlike senile dementia (Alzheimer’s disease), it can be treated, and, with thyroid hormone given by mouth, most patients rapidly recover.
Recognizing this disease, however, may be difficult since its features are often not typical in old age. Nevertheless, hypothyroidism is one of the more common ailments of the elderly and is known as “the great masquerader of geriatrics.” It may even be the cause of dementia in a large percentage of cases. Since hypothyroidism is often due to an iodine deficiency, we can help to prevent it by using iodized salt and by taking a daily tablet of kelp, a seaweed product that contains natural iodine.
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