Skip to main content
NCBI home page
The Western Journal of Medicine logoLink to The Western Journal of Medicine
. 1987 Jun;146(6):705–712.

Treatable Dementias

Michael E Mahler 1,2, Jeffrey L Cummings 1,2, D Frank Benson 1,2
PMCID: PMC1307463  PMID: 3617715

Abstract

Dementia is an acquired impairment of intellect produced by brain dysfunction. In the past, dementia was regarded as inevitably chronic, progressive and irreversible. More recently dementia has been viewed as a clinical syndrome that may be produced by both irreversible and reversible conditions. Recognition of the presence of a dementia syndrome should be followed by an evaluation for potentially treatable causes of the intellectual deterioration. Dementia treatment includes therapy for reversible or curable dementias and nonspecific interventions that may improve the condition of patients with progressive dementia syndromes.

Full text

PDF
705

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Ballard P. A., Tetrud J. W., Langston J. W. Permanent human parkinsonism due to 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP): seven cases. Neurology. 1985 Jul;35(7):949–956. doi: 10.1212/wnl.35.7.949. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Beck J. C., Benson D. F., Scheibel A. B., Spar J. E., Rubenstein L. Z. Dementia in the elderly: the silent epidemic. Ann Intern Med. 1982 Aug;97(2):231–241. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-97-2-231. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bengtsson B. A., Malmvall B. E. Giant cell arteritis. Acta Med Scand Suppl. 1982;658:1–102. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Benson D. F., Cummings J. L. Angular gyrus syndrome simulating Alzheimer's disease. Arch Neurol. 1982 Oct;39(10):616–620. doi: 10.1001/archneur.1982.00510220014003. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Caine E. D. Pseudodementia. Current concepts and future directions. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1981 Dec;38(12):1359–1364. doi: 10.1001/archpsyc.1981.01780370061008. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Cummings J. L., Benson D. F. Dementia of the Alzheimer type. An inventory of diagnostic clinical features. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1986 Jan;34(1):12–19. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1986.tb06334.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Cummings J., Benson D. F., LoVerme S., Jr Reversible dementia. Illustrative cases, definition, and review. JAMA. 1980 Jun 20;243(23):2434–2439. doi: 10.1001/jama.243.23.2434. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Hachinski V. C., Iliff L. D., Zilhka E., Du Boulay G. H., McAllister V. L., Marshall J., Russell R. W., Symon L. Cerebral blood flow in dementia. Arch Neurol. 1975 Sep;32(9):632–637. doi: 10.1001/archneur.1975.00490510088009. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Halgin R., Riklan M., Misiak H. Levodopa, parkinsonism, and recent memory. J Nerv Ment Dis. 1977 Apr;164(4):268–272. doi: 10.1097/00005053-197704000-00006. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Hotson J. R. Modern neurosyphilis: a partially treated chronic meningitis. West J Med. 1981 Sep;135(3):191–200. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Larson E. B., Reifler B. V., Featherstone H. J., English D. R. Dementia in elderly outpatients: a prospective study. Ann Intern Med. 1984 Mar;100(3):417–423. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-100-3-417. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Lipowski Z. J. Transient cognitive disorders (delirium, acute confusional states) in the elderly. Am J Psychiatry. 1983 Nov;140(11):1426–1436. doi: 10.1176/ajp.140.11.1426. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. McKhann G., Drachman D., Folstein M., Katzman R., Price D., Stadlan E. M. Clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease: report of the NINCDS-ADRDA Work Group under the auspices of Department of Health and Human Services Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease. Neurology. 1984 Jul;34(7):939–944. doi: 10.1212/wnl.34.7.939. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Moore P. M., Cupps T. R. Neurological complications of vasculitis. Ann Neurol. 1983 Aug;14(2):155–167. doi: 10.1002/ana.410140202. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Nadel A. M., Wilson W. P. Dialysis encephalopathy: a possible seizure disorder. Neurology. 1976 Dec;26(12):1130–1134. doi: 10.1212/wnl.26.12.1130. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Ouslander J. G. Drug therapy in the elderly. Ann Intern Med. 1981 Dec;95(6):711–722. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-95-6-711. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Peyser J. M., Edwards K. R., Poser C. M., Filskov S. B. Cognitive function in patients with multiple sclerosis. Arch Neurol. 1980 Sep;37(9):577–579. doi: 10.1001/archneur.1980.00500580073013. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Plum F. Dementia: an approaching epidemic. Nature. 1979 May 31;279(5712):372–373. doi: 10.1038/279372a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Price R. W., Nielsen S., Horten B., Rubino M., Padgett B., Walker D. Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy: a burnt-out case. Ann Neurol. 1983 May;13(5):485–490. doi: 10.1002/ana.410130503. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Rabins P. V. Management of irreversible dementia. Psychosomatics. 1981 Jul;22(7):591-3, 597. doi: 10.1016/S0033-3182(81)73480-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Shaw G. M., Harper M. E., Hahn B. H., Epstein L. G., Gajdusek D. C., Price R. W., Navia B. A., Petito C. K., O'Hara C. J., Groopman J. E. HTLV-III infection in brains of children and adults with AIDS encephalopathy. Science. 1985 Jan 11;227(4683):177–182. doi: 10.1126/science.2981429. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Snider W. D., Simpson D. M., Nielsen S., Gold J. W., Metroka C. E., Posner J. B. Neurological complications of acquired immune deficiency syndrome: analysis of 50 patients. Ann Neurol. 1983 Oct;14(4):403–418. doi: 10.1002/ana.410140404. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Thompson T. L., 2nd, Moran M. G., Nies A. S. Drug therapy: Psychotropic drug use in the elderly (first of two parts). N Engl J Med. 1983 Jan 20;308(3):134–138. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198301203080305. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Victor M., Adams R. D., Cole M. The acquired (non-Wilsonian) type of chronic hepatocerebral degeneration. Medicine (Baltimore) 1965 Sep;44(5):345–396. doi: 10.1097/00005792-196509000-00001. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Wells C. E. Pseudodementia. Am J Psychiatry. 1979 Jul;136(7):895–900. doi: 10.1176/ajp.136.7.895. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Western Journal of Medicine are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES