A client is admitted with signs and symptoms of early Alzheimer's disease. The nurse expects the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease is based on which of the following?
1. Abnormal CT scan findings of neuritic plaques and tangles in the brain
2. Positive blood tests for beta-amyloid and tau proteins
3. Client history, physical examination, and neuropsychological test results
4. Biopsy of brain tissue
3. Client history, physical examination, and neuropsychological test results
Rationale:
The diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease is based on the client history, a physical examination, and neuropsychological testing. There currently is no one test or procedure that makes the diagnosis. The symptoms are verified by laboratory and diagnostic testing to exclude any other possible cause for the symptoms the client is experiencing. Changes in the brain with Alzheimer's disease include neurotic plaques containing beta-amyloid protein and neurofibrillary tangles containing tau protein, but these changes are found at autopsy, not with a CT scan. There are no blood tests available for Alzheimer's disease, and brain biopsies are not performed.
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