New Guidelines for Alzheimer's Disease

Experts say it's time to start testing people earlier for Alzheimer's disease, before they show signs of dementia.

If these proposed guidelines are adopted, it could double or even triple the number of people diagnosed with the disease, but could also help in many ways as well.

Special Section: Dr. Jennifer Ashton
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According to CBS News Medical Correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton the new guidelines really involve the creation of a new phase in this timeline called the preclinical phase.

"This is a phase where the patient would be asymptomatic, without any symptoms. It would be diagnosed with a combination of brain imaging, like P.E.T. scan as well as the use of biomarkers, which are proteins that could be found in fluids, let's say in a spinal tap, and hopefully this would catch the disease way before it manifests itself," she told "Early Show" co-anchor Erica Hill.

"The second phase would be mild cognate impairment. So, that's when someone starts to have difficulties with activities in daily living. The final phase is Alzheimer's dementia, because dementia can be caused by other things. That remains a definitive diagnosis that is only made on the basis of autopsy findings."

"This tends to run in families. So, if there could be some sort of early diagnosis, perhaps as early in the 50s, before signs start showing up, does that change the course of action? Can you stop it?" Hill asked.

"Well, not yet," Ashton said. "The hopes are that, yes, we can do that in the future, but there are two ways to look at this:

•"One with an early diagnosis, obviously you run the risk of misdiagnosing someone or putting a label on someone, that could have serious consequences, but also there's also the potential benefit for early intervention and giving someone more time to do what they want to do in life or plan their life accordingly," she said.

•"On the downside, obviously, much higher costs. That is going to be significant when you talk about testing a lot more people," Ashton added.