The Predisposing Factors, Biological Markers, Neuroimaging Techniques and Medical Complications Associated with Alzheimer's Disease (Scientific Article: Special Issue) (Disease/Disorder Overview‪)‬

The concept and terminology of dementia is changing. There is a proposal in DSM-V which will be published in the next few years to eliminate the word "dementia" and "mild cognitive disorder" and replace the diagnoses with minor and major neurocognitive disorders. (1) Over time, practitioners have recognized that pure Alzheimer's dementia is not as prevalent as once thought. The majority of the dementias we see, especially in the very elderly are often of a mixed variety involving degenerative and vascular factors. While it may be possible to differentiate dementias in the early phase of the dementing process with the so-called vascular prodrome of Alzheimer's disease, it is extremely difficult in the moderate to severe ranges. (2,3) Much of the research associated with Alzheimer's type dementia identified in this article have been found to be common both in Vascular and Alzheimer's Dementia. (4) The authors review the predisposing factors, the biological markers, neuroimaging techniques, and the medical complications associated with the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Predisposing Factors