What am i getting so forgetful? i am a 59 year old (will be 60 in 3 weeks), retired female and lately i've been really forgetting a lot of things and have very bad short-term memory. just yesterday i left my purse at a department store. fortunately it wa

The : The best way to answer your question is to perform a thorough evaluation that would involve memory testing, psychiatric and neurological examination, medical history, medication review and perhaps lab tests. Sometimes memory problems could be caused by poor concentration, which is often a consequence of too much stress, depression or lack of sleep. Lack of vitamins such B12 or nutrients such as iodine may cause memory problems. Shortage of B12 usually occurs due to its poor absorption in the digestive tract and can be effectively treated by once a month injections of b12. Alcohol use, certain over the counter medications and some prescription medications can worsen memory. All these conditions can be effectively treated if diagnosed correctly. Memory may get worse because of damage to brain tissue, such as occurs due to small strokes. This condition is often called vci or vascular cognitive impairment, it has many causes, some of which can be treated and others can be controlled. Mild cognitive impairment or mci is another condition that presents as memory impairment. It has a tendency to convert to alzheimer's disease, more frequently in individuals who carry the apolipoprotein e gene (also known as apoe) e4 allele. Having apoe e4 genotype predisposes one to develop memory problems and alzheimer's disease relatively early in life (from late 50s to early 70s). However, the disease risk in those who have apoe e4 genotype can be significantly reduced through lifestyle changes. A person's genotype can be easily determined through genetic testing. You should contact your primary care doctor to discuss possible causes of your memory problem and perhaps ask for a referral to a specialist in memory disorders. If you have further questions or would like to learn more about genetic testing, please do not hesitate to give my office a call at 877-483-2071.

Worth an eval: I would suggest seeing your PCP to get some baseline testing and determine if there is anything treatable or to be concerned about