Differential diagnosis of dementia: clinical examination and laboratory assessment.
Recent breakthroughs in putative disease-modifying interventions for Alzheimer's disease (AD) underscore the urgency of making the earliest possible diagnosis. In the absence of a convenient and reliable laboratory test for AD, the clinical assessment is still the cornerstone of the diagnostic approach. This article provides a basis for conducting an assessment within the realities of a busy clinical practice for patients complaining of cognitive decline. The assessment will enable the clinician to diagnose the earliest manifestation of AD.
Mega
Michael S
MS
Memory Disorders and Alzheimer's Disease Clinic, Department of Neurology, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, and UCLA Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California, USA.
D000339:Affect; D000368:Aged; D000377:Agnosia / Q000175:diagnosis; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis; D001288:Attention; D015415:Biomarkers; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015140:Dementia, Vascular / Q000175:diagnosis; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography; D008568:Memory; D010552:Personality Assessment; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D011581:Psychological Tests; D014054:Tomography / Q000379:methods
D015415:Biomarkers