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Post Screening StepsFollow UpIf a memory screening indicates possible intellectual impairment, see your doctor or another qualified healthcare professional as soon as possible for a complete medical evaluation. It is important to visit a healthcare professional with expertise in dementia. This might be a local primary care physician, a neurologist, a geriatrician, psychologist or a psychiatrist. Follow-up is necessary to identify the disease or problem that is causing memory loss. Memory can be affected by a number of factors, ranging from stress and lack of sleep, to such illnesses as Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. Some conditions that cause memory loss, such as vitamin deficiencies, depression or thyroid problems, are reversible. In general, the earlier the diagnosis, the easier it is to treat one of these conditions. For irreversible illnesses, such as Alzheimer's disease, early diagnosis could improve your future health. Although there currently is no cure for Alzheimer's disease, available and emerging medical treatments may slow the progression of symptoms. These medications have been proven to work best the earlier they are given. Clinicians diagnose "probable" Alzheimer's disease by doing a thorough diagnostic work-up.
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