Clinical Evaluation of 
Alzheimer's Disease

Keimyung Medical Journal 1997;16(3):348-364.

Clinical Evaluation of Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer병의 진단적 평가

김도관; 노주선

Abstract

The early identification of Alzheimer's disease (AD) will enable the start of antidementia treatments before extensive brain damage develops. Knowledge of the natural history of AD in terms of progression through symptomatic domains that include mood changes, loss of cognitive abilities as well as functional autonomy, and emergence of neuropsychiatric features has also helped in defining the "typical" AD patient and in selecting outcome variables relevant to stage of disease under study. The diagnosis of AD is based on numerous clinical, neuropsychological, neuroradiological, and neurophysiological evaluations, but a define diagnosis can only be established at autopsy or by brain biopsy. The next stage in the diagnosis of AD will be the identification of people in the incipient presymptomatic stages, using sensitive and specific biological measures such as high resolution imaging of brain structures, combined with relevant neuropsychological tests of memory and language. Because the need for a simple and accurate diagnostic marker is increasing as new drug treatments emerge, intensive research to identify diagnostic markers is now in progress.

Key Words: ALZHEIMER, 치매, AD, Alzheimer's disease, Diagnosis