Alzheimers Disease - Definitions and Diagnosis

Dementia is a degenerative and progressive brain disorder, characterized by the deterioration of cognitive function (memory, thinking, orientation, comprehension, calculation, learning capacity, language, and judgement) and commonly accompanied by a deterioration in emotional control, social behaviour or motivation. This deck explains dementia – its prevalence, signs, symptoms and diagnostic criteria. It is intended to provide an educational overview, complete with key definitions.

This slide deck has been developed in collaboration with the former Lundbeck International Neuroscience Foundation.

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Alzheimers Disease – Diagnosis and Definitions – slide 1

Definitions and Diagnosis

This deck explains dementia – it’s prevalence, signs, symptoms and diagnostic criteria. It is intended as an educational overview, complete with key definitions.

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Definitions

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What is dementia?

The term ‘dementia’ was used in the early eighteenth century to imply an incompetence in managing one’s affairs.^{[McKeith & Fairbairn, 2001]} Early in the nineteenth century, the word dementia began to be used in medicine to describe patients with a…

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Alzheimers Disease – Diagnosis and Definitions – slide 4

Age-specific prevalence of dementia

Across worldwide regions, the age-specific prevalence of dementia shows a similar pattern, increasing with age, but showing considerable heterogeneity among the oldest age group (≥90 years old).^{[Winblad et al., 2016]}

The prevalence of AD is greater for women…

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Alzheimers Disease – Diagnosis and Definitions – slide 5

Main types of dementia

Estimates vary, but there is a general consensus that AD accounts for approximately 60–80% of dementias; dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) may account for 10–15% of dementias, and vascular dementia (VaD), and fronto-temporal dementia (FTD) each make a contribution of…

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Alzheimers Disease – Diagnosis and Definitions – slide 6

What is Alzheimer’s disease?

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia, accounting for approximately 60–80% of all dementia cases.^{[Alzheimer’s Association, 2016]} AD is a degenerative and progressive disorder, associated with cognitive, functional and behavioral symptoms.^{[Alzheimer’s Association, 2016]}

The most common…

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Diagnosis, Signs and Symptoms

Alzheimers Disease – Diagnosis and Definitions – slide 7

Diagnosis, Signs and Symptoms

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Alzheimers Disease – Diagnosis and Definitions – slide 8

Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease

One of the core criteria for a diagnosis of dementia is the presence of cognitive or behavioral (neuropsychiatric) symptoms that represent a decline from previous levels of functioning and performing.^{[McKhann et al., 2011]}

Once a clinical diagnosis of…

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Alzheimers Disease – Diagnosis and Definitions – slide 9

Examples of symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease

In general, the symptoms of AD can be divided into three categories – cognitive, functional, and neuropsychiatric.

Cognitive symptoms – the main areas of cognition that can be impaired over the course of AD include memory, language, attention and…

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Alzheimers Disease – Diagnosis and Definitions – slide 10

Hypothetical model for the pathological–clinical continuum of Alzheimer’s disease

The slide represents a hypothetical model for the pathological-clinical continuum of AD.^{[Sperling et al., 2011]}

The ‘preclinical’ stage precedes mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and includes individuals who have evidence of early AD pathological changes, but do not meet clinical…

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Alzheimers Disease – Diagnosis and Definitions – slide 11

Conclusion

AD is a complex disease of multifactorial etiology that, despite a wealth of clinical research, is not yet completely understood. Among various genetic and environmental factors implicated in AD, age is the most important risk factor for the disease.…

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