Dr. Paul Schulz, professor of neurology at UT Health and a neurologist at Memorial Hermann, says misunderstanding normal aging is one of the biggest misconceptions he hears from patients and it can delay people from getting help.
His simple advice: compare yourself to people your own age.
If you’re forgetting roughly the same things as your spouse or friends, it may be normal aging. But if you’re forgetting conversations, repeating questions or noticeably struggling more than your peers, Schulz says that’s a reason to get evaluated.
And there’s a major reason not to wait.
New Alzheimer’s treatments can now actually slow the progression of the disease by removing amyloid plaques from the brain. Schulz says the earlier treatment begins, the greater the potential benefit and some patients treated very early have remained stable for years.
“There’s things that are working now,” Schulz says. “Most people haven’t heard about it.”
There’s another surprising development: vaccines may also be linked to a lower risk of Alzheimer’s.
Schulz says Memorial Hermann data show vaccinated patients had a significantly reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s during at least eight years of follow-up. He says flu, shingles, DTaP and pneumococcal vaccines have all been associated with reduced risk.
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