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Assessment of suspected dementia in older people

Part of: Bespoke shallow archive Weizmann

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2007

EH Fletcher ,
HJ Woodford  and
J George
EH Fletcher
Affiliation:
ST3 Geriatric Medicine, Northern Rotation, UK
HJ Woodford*
Affiliation:
Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle, UK
J George
Affiliation:
Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle, UK
*
Address for correspondence: HJ Woodford, Cumberland Infirmary, Newtown Road, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA2 7HY, UK.
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Extract

Dementia is a syndrome describing progressive and largely irreversible brain dysfunction. Symptoms are varied but commonly include memory loss, mood changes and difficulties with language and judgement. Delusions and hallucinations can also occur. With disease progression there is a gradual loss of ability to perform tasks of daily living. A range of illnesses, most of which are currently incurable, can cause dementia. These include Alzheimer's disease (AD), vascular dementia (VaD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Mixed patterns of dementia also exist, typically Alzheimer's disease overlapping with vascular dementia. This combination of pathologies is probably much commoner in the elderly than traditionally thought.

Type
Psychological and social gerontology
Information
Reviews in Clinical Gerontology , Volume 17 , Issue 1 , February 2007 , pp. 63 - 73
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

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