Doctor reveals ’10-year rule’ for evaluating brain fog and dementia symptoms
“If somebody is an NFL football player and he says, ‘I’m weaker than I used to be,’ and I go and do my neurological test, I say, ‘Oh no, you’re still strong,'” Voskuhl said.
What the player is feeling still matters, even if a standard test shows no obvious decline, she noted.
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Women, too, can often recognize when their cognitive abilities have changed from their own baseline and should trust those observations, according to Voskuhl.
Standard neurological tests frequently miss menopausal brain fog because patients experience “subjective cognitive decline,” noticing subtle personal drops in performance that clinical tests register as normal. (iStock)
Understanding the difference between hormonal brain fog and neurodegenerative disease comes down to how memory loss impacts daily function, experts agree.
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Menopausal brain fog typically involves temporary, inconsistent lapses like misplacing items or experiencing slower processing speed, but overall reasoning skills and independence remain intact, according to Mayo Clinic. Symptoms often fluctuate and can be exacerbated by stress or poor sleep.
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By contrast, early dementia causes persistent, progressive memory loss that interferes with basic daily tasks like managing finances, following familiar routes while driving or exercising sound judgment.
If cognitive concerns arise, experts advise getting a thorough medical evaluation to rule out other issues, and finding a new doctor if symptoms are being dismissed. (iStock)
Amid cognitive concerns, experts advise seeking a full medical evaluation, including brain MRIs or vascular screenings, to rule out underlying issues like blood vessel disease or thyroid imbalances.
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For women who feel their concerns are being dismissed, Voskuhl offered this advice: “When they have doctors who don’t listen to them, they need to find another doctor.”
Khloe Quill is a lifestyle writer with Fox News Digital. She and the lifestyle team cover a range of story topics including food and drink, travel, and health.
Article source: https://www.foxnews.com/health/doctor-reveals-10-year-rule-evaluating-brain-fog-dementia-symptoms