About Dr. Dragulescu – Memorial Neurology
In his more than 15 years as a neurologist, Dr. Dan Dragulescu has acquired a vast amount of experience caring for patients with debilitating conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, and Parkinson’s disease. His unique mindset and relentless search for alternative solutions to challenging problems have made him the expert that patients want on their team when faced with the bleak prognosis of a degenerative disease.
To Dr. Dragulescu, neurology is more than a science. As someone raised and educated in three different languages, he learned at an early age that the human brain is capable of finding alternative channels when it comes to communication and other mental functions.
Born to a Romanian father and a German mother, Dr. Dragulescu left then-communist Romania at a young age with his family, in search of a better life. After graduating from medical school in Berlin, Germany, Dr. Dragulescu moved to the United States in the early 1990s to pursue his dream of becoming an expert in the study of the human brain. He spent the next few years converting his foreign medical credentials and completing a residency in neurology at the Medical University of South Carolina.
For the past 10 years, Dr. Dragulescu has been caring for patients in the Hilton Head -Beaufort area. His practice, Memorial Neurology, serves patients affected by various conditions, from stroke and sleep disorders to Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. As a specialist in Alzheimer’s disease, Dr. Dragulescu offers genetic testing and counseling to families at risk for early-onset familial Alzheimer’s. His outpatient sleep lab has helped hundreds of people who suffer from sleep disorders and chronic fatigue.
Patients from all over the Lowcountry area have come to know Dr. Dragulescu as the physician who does not give up on seemingly impossible cases. Compassionate, intuitive, and always familiar with the latest research, Dr. Dragulescu makes every patient and every family his priority.
The sunny Lowcountry has become home to Dr. Dragulescu, his wife, and their son Danny. In his free time, Dr. Dragulescu enjoys sailing, surfing, fishing, and exploring coastal South Carolina’s outdoors.
Short Bio
In his more than 15 years as a neurologist, Dr. Dan Dragulescu has dedicated himself to caring for patients with debilitating conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, and Parkinson’s disease. His practice, Memorial Neurology, is the only one in the Lowcountry area to offer genetic testing and counseling for early-onset Alzheimer’s disease and specialized tests for patients with chronic sleep problems.
His upbringing, unique approach, and love of science inspired Dr. Dragulescu to look for alternative solutions to challenging problems. Compassionate, intuitive, and always familiar with the latest research, Dr. Dragulescu makes every patient and every family his priority. At Memorial Neurology, no patient is a lost cause.
Procedures
Genetic Testing for Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease
Early-onset Alzheimer’s disease is a familial degenerative disease that affects people between the ages of 30 and 60. It can be caused by a number of single-gene mutations that lead to brain abnormalities. In addition to progressive loss of memory and other mental functions, patients affected by this disease face a unique set of challenges, such as supporting a family and remaining active in the labor market while coping with their condition. Dr. Dragulescu is the only neurologist in the Lowcountry to offer genetic testing and counseling for patients at high risk for early-onset Alzheimer’s. His participation in a clinical trial supported by the National Institute on Aging equipped him with the skills to provide the best evaluation and care to this particular group of patients. While an early Alzheimer’s prognosis is always challenging, Dr. Dragulescu and his team provide patients and their loved ones with a game plan, allowing them to lead a functional, fulfilling life for as long as possible.
Sleep Studies
Many people battle sleep problems that make it hard for them to function normally and maintain an active, healthy lifestyle. Dr. Dragulescu specializes in sleep studies that can detect the cause of sleep cycle disturbances and the inability to fall asleep. A polysomnogram records body functions during sleep, including brain activity, eye movement, snoring, heart rate, and muscle movements, to pinpoint possible problems. Another study, called multiple sleep latency test, can show how long it takes for a patient to fall asleep and whether they can enter the sleep stage known as rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. While these studies are normally conducted in specialized sleep labs, Dr. Dragulescu uses portable equipment to offer these services on an outpatient basis.