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Do subjective memory complaints precede dementia? A three‐year follow‐up of patients with supposed ‘benign senescent forgetfulness’
Author(s) -
O'Brien John T.,
Beats Barbara,
Hill Katie,
Howard Robert,
Sahakian Barbara,
Levy Raymond
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
international journal of geriatric psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.28
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1099-1166
pISSN - 0885-6230
DOI - 10.1002/gps.930070705
Subject(s) - dementia , normality , memory impairment , memory clinic , pediatrics , complaint , medicine , population , psychiatry , cognition , psychology , cognitive impairment , disease , environmental health , political science , law
A three‐year follow‐up study is reported of people presenting to a hospital memory clinic with ‘benign senescent forgetfulness’.All were complaining of forgetfulness for which no organic or psychiatric cause could be found. Sixty‐four out of the 68 patients initially seen were traced, of whom three had died. Six (8.8%) were found to have become demented, a slightly higher proportion than would be expected given the age of the population. No particular clinical features were found that predicted the subsequent development of dementia. Cognitive performance of remaining non‐demented subjects showed a significant but relatively modest decline, probably related to the effects of normal ageing. It is concluded that memory complaint must be taken seriously in the elderly and may sometimes indicate early dementia despite normal scores on simple screening tests. However, a finding of normality after careful assessment is reassuringly correct in the majority of cases.