"Momadook \(J Cooper\)" <Momadook@yahoo.com> wrote in news:SYtJh.231
$nh4.166@newsfe20.lga:

It's increasingly more rare the earlier the age, but patients have been
diagnosed in their 30's.  Take alook at www.alzmass.org/news/early-onset_2-
28-07.html for some in-depth discussion of early onset AD.

I think I was 64 when mine started.....

Early onset Alzheimer's can show as early as in a person's 30's.About
6-10% of people with AD have the early onset variety. If this is in
your family, you will likely know about it, since if you examine
family history, you may see a pattern of people becoming demented in
midlife, having to leave work at a young age, be institutionalized for
being "crazy" etc.

If you have someone in your family who is showing signs of cognitive
problems, get them to a doctor. There are a host of medical problems
that can cause mental fuzziness, forgetfulness, confusion - and many
of the causes are treatable. If a person does have a treatable cause,
getting seen and diagnosed early is important, so you can avoid
permanent damage.

Not everyone who is confused or impaired has Alzheimer's. Just to give
you an example, I have Hashimoto's disease, a common autoimmune
problem that destroys the thyroid and causes hypothyroidism. A lot of
people with this don't get diagnosed until the the process has been
going on for some time - and low thyroid can cause mental fog.

Mary G.