Articles: dementia.
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A person who becomes demented can be considered as he presently is, a demented person, or in light of his entire life, of which dementia is but the final stage. These two perspectives can provide conflicting determinations of the person's interests and preferences, since what is best for a demented person at the time may not make his life better overall and may be directly contrary to preferences expressed while competent. Reflection on the concept of autonomy--what faculties it requires, what its point is--provides a clear understanding of the rights of the demented patient.
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Clinical subtypes of dementia of the Alzheimer type were evaluated by comparing age at onset, aphasia, family history, and motor disorder in 146 individuals with progressive dementia. Early onset was significantly associated with more prevalent and more severe language disorder. Forty-five percent of all probands had familial history of dementia, but we could not differentiate relative familial risk based on age at onset or aphasia. Independent of duration of illness, myoclonus and noniatrogenic extrapyramidal disorder were associated with greater severity of dementia.
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Journal of gerontology · Sep 1985
Diagnostic evaluation of 200 elderly outpatients with suspected dementia.
A standardized diagnostic evaluation was performed on 200 consecutive patients over age 60 with suspected dementia. Diagnoses were confirmed by consensus and subsequently by follow up. Over 70% had Alzheimer's type dementia; 31% had more than one illness contributing to the dementia state, with overlap between the two groups. ⋯ Our results emphasize the importance of recognizing and treating the multiple illnesses that contribute to dementia in elderly adults. The distribution of illnesses in demented elderly outpatients is different from that reported in younger patients with dementia. Diagnostic strategies and expectations need to be based on data obtained from studies of elderly patients with suspected dementia.