what are the earliest symptoms of Alzheimers?

  Is the inability to pick up a telephone number from a message machine with up to five or six attempts an example of a typical memory problem associated with senile dementia or Alzheimers?
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Dear Nancy:
Although memory problems are the most frequent presentation in Alzheimer's disease, the most important symptom is worsening of the memory over time and not being restricted to a single problem that remains the same in severity. Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease. This means that whatever symptom in the beginning would get worse with time.
Good luck