Altered mental status in the elderly.
Misdiagnosis of treatable dementia in the aged is costly to society and the family, and is unmeasurable in personal tragedy. The 4 Ds of the elderly--dementia, depression, delirium, and delusion--are discussed. Family physicians are encouraged to seek out treatable disease.
D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000150:complications; D007562:Creutzfeldt-Jakob Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis; D003693:Delirium / Q000175:diagnosis; D003702:Delusions / Q000175:diagnosis; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006212:Hallucinations / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D010259:Paranoid Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000175:diagnosis; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed