Published 5 February 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b75
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;338:b75

Clinical Review

Dementia

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.b158

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


  • Dementia is a global health and social care crisis
  • In the United Kingdom 700 000 people have dementia, and the annual cost of care is £17bn a year; these values are set to rise
  • People with mild cognitive impairment are up to 15 times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than those with normal cognition
  • Complaints of memory loss often indicates the presence of depression
  • Trazodone, clomethiazole, and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are suitable alternatives to antipsychotic drugs in people with dementia who are agitated
  • Interventions by carers can be as powerful as drug treatment in terms of outcome
  • Apathy and withdrawal in people with dementia can be as distressing to carers as agitation and aggression


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 daily living. Alzheimer’s disease . . . [Full text of this article]


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