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Overdiagnosis of Dementia
Author(s) -
Garcia Carlos A.,
Reding Michael J.,
Blass John P.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
journal of the american geriatrics society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.992
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 1532-5415
pISSN - 0002-8614
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1981.tb02379.x
Subject(s) - dementia , medicine , overdiagnosis , depression (economics) , autopsy , atrophy , psychiatry , neuroimaging , disease , pediatrics , intensive care medicine , pathology , economics , macroeconomics
Accurate diagnosis of the dementias is difficult. Of 100 patients referred to a specialized outpatient dementia clinic, at least 26 were not demented. Fifteen had depression, 7 had miscellaneous other neuropsychiatric disorders, and 4 were normal. Specialized dementia clinics help to improve diagnostic accuracy. Three diagnostic errors appeared particularly important: failure to recognize depression, especially in the presence of mild organic brain disease; equating brain atrophy on the computerized tomogram with clinical dementia; and failure to distinguish focal from global intellectual impairment. For confirmation, the diagnosis of dementia requires follow‐up evaluation, brain biopsy, or autopsy.