By Denise Mann for CNN
The changes may be subtle, especially at first: An aging executive misses an appointment or two, or can’t recall what was said in last week’s meeting. A doctor who’s nearing retirement suddenly blanks on a longtime patient’s name.
So-called senior moments like these aren’t unusual as people age, but if memory lapses on the job persist, get worse, and can no longer be overlooked or downplayed by colleagues, it could be a red flag for Alzheimer’s disease.
“New cases of Alzheimer’s occur every 70 seconds,” says Richard Mayeux, MD, a professor of neurology, psychiatry, and epidemiology at Columbia University, in New York City. “The total number of individuals with problems like this will increase as the population ages.”
