If you are specializing in becoming a neurologist, you are likely to encounter people who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. With more than 6 million US citizens affected, it is one of the most prevalent ailments of the 21st century. Your role as a doctor is to suggest relevant treatments and measures that can slow down or completely prevent the progression of this disease. 

With that in mind, early detection carries a wide variety of benefits for both you and your patient. Unfortunately, traditional methods prove to be pricey and time-inefficient. Studies from 2021 suggest that more than 50% of Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, even though they haven’t been diagnosed. 

The Importance of Early Detection for a Doctor in Practice

Detecting Alzheimer’s before it progresses into dementia and cognitive impairment will help you gain much-needed knowledge on the different stages of the disease as well as the several nuances that it appears to have. If you diagnose Alzheimer’s on time, there are effective treatments for your patients that can prevent memory loss and the progressive flow related to this disease. 

Fortunately, there are medical studies that point out the pre-symptoms, which makes it easier to detect this ailment on time. For example, there are cerebral indicators such as a shrunk gyri or a widened sulci. 

In addition to that, physical changes that can appear up to 15 years before the progression of disease include lower cerebral blood flow, relevant facial expressions, and facial features that are correlated with the APOE4 gene. Furthermore, the Hensley (2010) and Kinney (2018) studies confirm that Alzheimer’s disease is directly connected to neuroinflammation. 

While the physical changes seem to be pretty evident, traditional methods of diagnosis don’t seem to be as efficient, hindering the chance of early detection. One of the main reasons why many patients aren’t diagnosed on time is because the average diagnosis takes up to 5 hours and you may need to perform further check-ups before getting accurate results. 

Plus, the cost for the complete procedure is set anywhere between $5000 and $10000, which most of your patients may not be able to afford. According to a 2021 study, more than $250 billion was spent on Alzheimer’s diagnoses in the last 12 months. With that in mind, doctors in practice should be open to innovative screening methods that improve the chances of early detection.

How Early Detection Prevents Progression of the Disease

As of today, more than 1 million US citizens wait to be screened for Alzheimer’s. What’s more, recent surveys suggest that 9/10 of the elderly would want to undergo an early diagnosis procedure. One of the main advantages for the patient is that they can save up to $10,000 (on average) if the disease is diagnosed on time. In addition to that, the Finner and Livingston studies suggest that you will have a higher chance of preventing cerebral changes with an early diagnosis and treatment. 

Mild dementia was prevented in 40% of the relevant cases, while cognitive impairment was prevented in 30% of the relevant cases. Success in the prevention of this progressive disease is a fantastic experience for any doctor who has aspirations to become a neurologist. It is much easier to study the different nuances and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease as it is in its early stages. The best way to ensure early diagnosis? Non-invasive testing.

Non-Invasive Testing as an Efficient Instrument for Early Diagnosis

Throughout the past years, practice in this field has suggested that remote screening and non-invasive testing of Alzheimer’s patients is not only cost-efficient but also more accurate. The main reason for this is that it performs better when it comes to detecting physical changes that can appear years before cerebral indicators. Recognizing and yielding the advantages of non-invasive testing is something that all doctors in practice should do.

Among the cost-efficient instruments is Cognes, which is a smartphone app that comes with sophisticated machine-based learning and an extensive cognitive assessment. Designed to analyze Alzheimer’s symptoms within minutes, it can help you get accurate results for your patients and start implementing measures to prevent the progression of the disease. Its main advantage is that the patients who contact you can perform the diagnosis from the comfort of their own homes.

All that they need to do is hold the smartphone in front of their face, allowing the computer vision to perform an MRI-like scan and gain relevant data on the present symptoms. The camera scan is followed by a cognitive assessment, which consists of a variety of questions addressing memory, motor functions, etc.

C0gnes as a Cost-Efficient Solution to the Traditional Methods

Apart from the fact that C0gnes is a user-friendly smartphone app that helps both patients and doctors detect Alzheimer’s disease and prescribe a treatment, it is a cost-efficient method that saves thousands of dollars per patient. The main reason it is so effective is because of the sophisticated computer vision that can detect physical indicators such as facial expressions that are correlated with Alzheimer’s disease.

Numerous studies suggest that people with the APOE4 gene are more prone to inheriting the ailment. Fascinatingly, the C0gnes computer vision analyzes facial features that are put in context with the mentioned gene. In addition to that, this smartphone app may detect a variety of other physical changes, including lower cerebral blood flow, changes in brain tissue, and neuroinflammation.

Wrap Up

There is no doubt that the early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease is beneficial for both the doctor in the practice and the patient. Being able to treat the ailment in its early stages increases the chances of success in the prevention of dementia and cognitive impairment. Cognes stands for a non-invasive and remote screening procedure that is effective in detecting the relevant physical changes and diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease faster than the traditional methods.