A guide to diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.
A major challenge in the management of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is accurate diagnosis of the condition. Aging itself is associated with cognitive change, and physicians must first distinguish between age-associated complaints and true memory impairment as in AD before optimal management can begin. This article reviews tools used to assess and diagnose AD patients in both the primary care and clinical trial settings. AD assessment instruments commonly used in research may be too cumbersome for use in primary care. Tools specifically designed to meet the needs of busy practitioners that can accurately assess function, cognition, and global change will be reviewed. The issues of cognitive screening in old age and age-associated memory impairment will be discussed. Similarly, the pitfalls and advantages of routine cognitive screening in daily practice will be addressed.
Sano
Mary
M
Bronx Veterans Administration Hospital, 130 W. Kingsbridge Road, Bronx, NY 10468, USA. mary.sano@mssm.edu
D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000145:classification; D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D008609:Mental Status Schedule; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011320:Primary Health Care; D015203:Reproducibility of Results