Memory loss is not always Alzheimer’s disease: experts warn of a little-known dementia
As Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia—affecting about 6.7 million Americans—it’s not surprising that people who experience memory loss may suspect AD.
In fact, there is another common cognitive disorder with very similar symptoms, called limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy – or LATE for short – that is often misdiagnosed as Alzheimer’s disease.
A recent report published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association emphasizes the need to develop “objective criteria” for diagnosing and staging all types of dementia, including LATE.
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How is LATE different from Alzheimer’s disease?
LATE is the prevailing condition in late life and may contribute to memory loss and cognitive decline, according to report co-author Rebecca M. Edelmayer, Ph.D. sc., vice presidents of the Association for Alzheimer’s Scientific Engagement in Chicago.
“LATE is defined by changes in the TDP-43 protein in brain tissue and often coexists with Alzheimer’s disease changes, such as the accumulation of beta amyloid plaques and tau knots.” (iStock)
“LATE is defined by changes in the TDP-43 protein in brain tissue and often coexists with changes in Alzheimer’s disease, such as the accumulation of beta amyloid plaques and tau knots,” she told Fox News Digital.
The newly proposed criteria are intended to help clinicians better distinguish LATE from Alzheimer’s disease, ultimately leading to more accurate diagnoses and improved treatment strategies, Edelmayer noted.
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LATE tends to decline more slowly than Alzheimer’s disease, according to lead author David Wolk, a professor of neurology at the University of Pennsylvania.
The condition occurs in tandem with Alzheimer’s disease in about one-third of patients, the doctor estimated, and appears to accelerate the course of the disease.
More than 25% of people over the age of 80 have this form of dementia.
More than 25% of people over the age of 80 have this common but little-known form of dementia. (iStock)
“Despite the commonness of the condition, most clinicians and patients have never heard of LATE and do not consider it when memory loss is present,” noted Wolk.
“Knowing whether it is present with Alzheimer’s disease also affects the prognosis and can affect the treatment effectiveness.”
“Most clinicians and patients have never heard of LATE and don’t think about it when memory loss is present.”
Before the criteria presented in the new report, there was no consensus on how to diagnose the condition.
“It’s only defined by an autopsy after death,” Wolk said.
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“These criteria allow doctors to diagnose the disease, which is an important step in clinical practice and ultimately research for better treatment of the condition.”
While there is a diagnostic test to definitively measure Alzheimer’s disease, there is no such test for LATE, Wolk noted.
Although there is a diagnostic test to definitively measure Alzheimer’s disease, no such test exists for LATE. (iStock)
“The criteria give levels of probability of diagnosis, but they cannot be definitive,” he told Fox News Digital. “Also, the criteria should be confirmed in practice.”
In the near future, Edelmayer noted, advances in biological markers will help clinicians distinguish between all the different types of dementia.
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“Until these tools are available, clinical criteria for diagnosis—like the one we just published—can be used to support more personalized medicine access to treatment, care and enrollment in clinical trials,” she told Fox News Digital.
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“In addition, these new recommendations create a roadmap that identifies opportunities for further research and the challenges that still exist in accurately diagnosing individuals with LATE.”
