A deterioração mental dos idosos. A tão falada arteriosclerose cerebral e a misteriosa doença de Alzheimer

Abstract

In the first part of this text dementia is defined, an explanation is given for the use of the expression dementia both as syndrome and disease, and the potential causes of dementia are listed with reference to the dementias of unknown cause. Thereafter, the criteria for the diagnosis of dementia provided by the DSM-III are presented. This is followed by a description of the most frequent dementias occurring in the elderly people. The second part of the text summarizes the history of the mental diseases of the aged. Finally, in the third part, Alzheimer’s disease is described in some detail.