Heterogeneity and Prognosis in Dementia of the Alzheimer Type
Year: 1985
Type: article
Abstract: The diagnosis of dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT) depends on the clinician's ability to document intellectual impairment in the patient and to exclude other causes of dementia. About 50% of all demented patients entering a hospital are ultimately found at postmortem examination to have Alzheimer's disease. However, using the most rigorous criteria the accuracy of correct clinical diagnosis at autopsy approaches only 80-90% and this excludes some unusual patients. Most investigators use the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder-third ed. (DSM-III) criteria for dementia, a rating of performance in activities of daily living, and an assessment of personality and intellectual function for diagnosis. Two clinical rating scales: the Blessed Dementia Rating Scale (parts 1 and 2) and the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale, are used frequently and seem to identify patients with DAT with greater accuracy than other scales.
Source: PubMed
DOI: 10.7916/d8zs4cz8
Language: English
Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2433723482