Dementia

BACKGROUND: The majority of people with dementia have other long-term diseases, the presence of which may affect the progression and management of dementia. This study aimed to identify subgroups with higher healthcare needs, by analysing how primary care consultations, number of prescriptions and hospital admissions by people with dementia varies with having additional long-term diseases (comorbidity). METHODS: A retrospective cohort study based on health data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) was conducted...

In 2017, it is two hundred years since James Parkinson provided the first complete clinical description of the disease named after him, fifty years since the introduction of high-dose D,L-DOPA treatment and twenty years since α-synuclein aggregation came to the fore. In 1998, multiple system atrophy joined Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies as the third major synucleinopathy. Here we review our work, which led to the identification of α-synuclein in Lewy bodies, Lewy neurites and Papp-Lantos bodies, as well as what has happened since...

The British Association for Psychopharmacology coordinated a meeting of experts to review and revise its previous 2011 guidelines for clinical practice with anti-dementia drugs. As before, levels of evidence were rated using accepted standards which were then translated into grades of recommendation A-D, with A having the strongest evidence base (from randomised controlled trials) and D the weakest (case studies or expert opinion). Current clinical diagnostic criteria for dementia have sufficient accuracy to be applied in clinical practice (B) and both structural (computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging) and functional (positron emission tomography and single photon emission computerised tomography) brain imaging can improve diagnostic accuracy in particular situations (B)...

This review article aims at providing a state-of-the-art review of the role of fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) imaging (FDG-PET) in the prediction of Alzheimer's dementia in subjects suffering mild cognitive impairment (MCI), with a particular focus on the predictive power of FDG-PET compared to structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI). We also address perfusion single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) as a less costly and more accessible alternative to FDG-PET. A search in PubMed was performed, taking into consideration relevant scientific articles published in English within the last five years and limited to human studies...

INTRODUCTION: Aim of the study was to compare various outcomes of dementia patients with elderly patients without dementia by conducting a systematic review of previous population-based studies. METHODS: The relevant studies were retrieved from search of electronic databases. RESULTS: The pooled data from included 11 studies consisted of outcomes of 1,044,131 dementia patients compared to 9,639,027 elderly patients without dementia. Meta-analysis showed that the mortality in dementia patients was 15...

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BACKGROUND: Earlier identification of cognitive impairment may reduce patient and caregiver morbidity. PURPOSE: To systematically review the diagnostic accuracy of brief cognitive screening instruments and the benefits and harms of pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions for early cognitive impairment. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials through December 2012; systematic reviews; clinical trial registries; and experts...

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate frequency of use of two anti-dementia drug classes approved for treatment of symptoms, whether populations most likely to benefit are treated, and correlates of treatment initiation. DESIGN: Nationally representative cohort study. SETTING: Fee-for-service Medicare. PARTICIPANTS: Elderly adults with dementia enrolled in Medicare Parts A, B, and D in 2009 (N = 433,559) and a subset with incident dementia (n = 185,449)...