The National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer's Association has developed a new proposed diagnostic criteria even before the symptoms of Alzheimer's start showing.

Three stages of the disease are covered by the newly proposed diagnostic criteria called pre-clinical Alzheimer's, mild cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer's dementia. The criteria is developed by experts from the National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer's Association.

Exerts said that researchers who are behind developing the new criteria must get going as promising new drugs to treat Alzheimer's are in the pipeline.

Creighton Phelps, PhD, director of the Alzheimer's Disease Centers Program in the division of neuroscience at the National Institute on Aging in Bethesda, Md. Said, "We want to be ready because labs are churning out all these new possible products and clinical trials are under way, and if the results should be positive, the idea is that we can diagnose someone as being on track for Alzheimer's disease."

He added that there are various diseases like high cholesterol and blood pressure that are treated before the symptoms show and it is needed that even Alzheimer's is diagnosed before it can take a toll.