Investigation and diagnostic evaluation of a patient with dementia

Abstract

Dementia is defined as an acquired decline of cognitive abilities sufficient to result in social or occupational impairment. The key goals of a clinical evaluation are to estabilish the impaired areas of cognition, the severity of impairment and functional consequences. Clinical diagnostic of dementia are evolving, particularly due to new methods such as functional neuroimaging and biomarkers, although the availability does not replace or diminish the need for a thorough evaluation.