Marwan Sabbagh: Why is Dementia Misdiagnosis So Common?

Catching and accurately identifying a neurodegenerative disease like Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia early can make all the difference in the world to a patient and their loved ones: An early diagnosis means more time to plan for the future, join a clinical trial testing cutting-edge disease-modifying treatments, making lifestyle changes to slow symptoms, or spending more time with loved ones. On the other hand, a misdiagnosis could mean that patients receive the wrong medications, causing harm — and unfortunately misdiagnoses are all too common when it comes to dementia. Why is this the case, and what can patients do about it? 

On Tuesday, September 19th at 2:00 p.m. PT/5:00 p.m. ET, neurologist, author, and Alzheimer’s expert Dr. Marwan Sabbagh joins Being Patient Live Talks to discuss why dementias are so difficult to diagnose. Sabbagh, a board-certified behavioral neurologist at Barrow Neurological Institute’s Alzheimer’s and Memory Disorders Program and a professor at the institute’s Department of Neurology, has served as the lead investigator on a number of prominent national Alzheimer’s prevention and treatment clinical trials. In this talk, he’ll speak to the factors that make dementia so difficult to diagnose accurately for experts and clinicians — as well as what patients and their families can do to advocate for an accurate diagnosis and a faster response to brain health concerns.

RSVP below to learn more about what caregivers and people living with dementia should know about diagnosis.