Published 5 February 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b158
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;338:b158

Clinical Review

Alzheimer’s disease

Alistair Burns, professor of old age psychiatry, honorary consultant psychiatrist1,2, Steve Iliffe, professor of primary care for older people3

1 University of Manchester Psychiatry Research Group, Manchester M13 9PL , 2 Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust, Manchester, 3 Department of Primary Care & Population Health, University College London, London NW3 2PF

Correspondence to: A Burns alistair.burns@manchester.ac.uk

Clinical Review, doi:10.1136/bmj.b75

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.


  • People with mild cognitive impairment are up to 15 times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than those with normal cognition
  • Memory loss is a presenting symptom in most people who develop Alzheimer’s disease
  • The cause of Alzheimer’s disease is unknown, but genetic and environmental risk factors have been implicated
  • Cholinesterase inhibitors are safe and effective and can be prescribed for people in the moderate stages of Alzheimer’s disease
  • Antipsychotic drugs reduce agitation but are linked with an increased risk of mortality and impair cognition
  • Evidence is growing that some strategies are successful at preventing Alzheimer’s disease


In this, the second of two review articles about dementia, we focus on Alzheimer’s disease, which is the most common cause of dementia. Dementia is a clinical syndrome characterised by a cluster of symptoms and signs manifested by difficulties in memory, disturbances in language, psychological and psychiatric changes, and impairments in activities of . . . [Full text of this article]

Cholinesterase inhibitors (for moderate disease)
Glutamatergic partial antagonist* (for moderately severe disease)

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This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Choi, S. R., Golding, G., Zhuang, Z., Zhang, W., Lim, N., Hefti, F., Benedum, T. E., Kilbourn, M. R., Skovronsky, D., Kung, H. F. (2009). Preclinical Properties of 18F-AV-45: A PET Agent for A{beta} Plaques in the Brain. JNM 50: 1887-1894 [Abstract] [Full text]  
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