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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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| Associated physical disease in a demented population | | Author(s) | A K Nägga, J Marcusson |
| Journal title | Aging: Clinical and Experimental Research, vol 10, no 6, December 1998 |
| Pages | pp 440-444 |
| Keywords | Dementia ; Ill health ; Infectious diseases ; Variance analysis ; Sweden. |
| Annotation | Clinical experience indicates that physical diseases are probably underdiagnosed in patients suffering from dementia. The authors conducted a record survey including 236 in- and out-patients referred to the Dementia Investigation Unit in Linköping, Sweden during 1994, to investigate the prevalence of physical diseases in patients with different types of dementia. 44 had dementia of the Alzheimer's type, 78 had vascular dementia, 28 had dementia due to multiple aetiologies, 42 were not demented, and 44 could not be classified by DSM-IV criteria. Physical diseases were registered as separate diagnoses comprising all newly-diagnosed physical diseases and previously known diseases that had exacerbated and contributed to the medical contact. 64% of patients had previously unknown physical diseases and/or exacerbation of previously known diseases. The most common were cobalamin deficiency and infectious diseases which occurred in 27% and 24% of patients respectively. There was no difference in the number or kinds of diagnoses between the diagnostic groups. Associated physical diseases were underdiagnosed in patients referred for dementia evaluation, indicating a need for thorough medical investigation and adequate treatment. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-990505002 A |
| Classmark | EA: CH: CJA: 3YA: 76P |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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