Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder marked by behavioral and cognitive impairment that eventually interferes with daily functional activities. The disorder has no cure and its rate of progression is variable. In this context, early diagnosis of the disease is a valuable element so that the individual and their carers have time to make choices and plan for the future, to allow access to treatments that can help manage the symptoms. The aim of this paper is therefore to present the importance of early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease in improving the patient's quality of life. To this end, an integrative literature review was carried out, with inclusion criteria comprising original articles, free of charge, available in full, in Portuguese, published in the last 5 years, which had a direct connection with the topic and met the objective and perspectives of the study. Abstracts, duplicate copies, case studies and those that did not meet the article's objective were excluded. Alzheimer's disease represents an immense burden for people with the condition, their families and carers, but also for the health system and society in general. Early diagnosis allows everyone involved time to adapt, while the patient can still actively participate in contributing to quality of life. We concluded that early detection, even though it is not curable, can minimize its symptoms with multidisciplinary monitoring and medication, contributing to well-being and quality of life, encouraging everyone involved not to give up along the way.