title: [Dementia due to Endocrine Diseases].
abstract: Endocrine diseases affecting various organs, such as the pituitary gland, the thyroid, the parathyroid, the adrenal glands and the pancreas, occasionally cause dementia. While Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the main cause of dementia in the elderly and is untreatable, dementia caused by endocrine diseases is treatable in most cases. However, patients with dementia associated with endocrine diseases show memory impairments similar to those found in AD, often leading to misdiagnoses. Patients with endocrine diseases often present with other characteristic systemic and neuropsychiatric symptoms caused by altered hormone levels. Such neuropsychiatric symptoms include involuntary movements, depression, seizures, and muscle weakness. In these cases, abnormalities in imaging and blood or urine tests are helpful in making a differential diagnosis. As delays in the diagnosis and treatment of these patients may cause irreversible brain damage, it is imperative for clinicians to carefully exclude the possibility of latent endocrine diseases when treating patients with dementia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui Hospital.
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Matsunaga
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yoneda
mesh_terms: D003704:Dementia / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004700:Endocrine System Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests