| NINCDS-ADRDA Criteria for the clinical
diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease |
| (1) |
Criteria for clinical diagnosis of probable AD: |
| |
- Dementia established by clinical examination, documented by
mental status testing, and confirmed by neuropsychological tests
- Deficits in two or more areas of cognition
- Progressive worsening of memory and other cognitive functions
- No disturbance of consciousness
- Onset between ages 40 and 90
- Absence of systemic or other brain diseases that could account
for dementia
|
| (2) |
Diagnosis of probable AD is supported by: |
| |
- Progressive deterioration of specific cognitive functions such
as language (aphasia), motor skills (apraxia) and perception (agnosia)
- Impaired activities of daily living and altered patterns of
behaviour
- Family history of similar disorders, particularly if confirmed
neuropathologically
- Laboratory results of: normal lumbar puncture, normal EEG,
evidence of progressive cerebral atrophy on CT by serial observation
|
| (3) |
Features consistent with diagnosis of probable AD: |
| |
- Plateaus in the course of progression in the illness
- Associated symptoms of depression, insomnia, incontinence,
delusions, illusions, hallucinations, catastrophic verbal, emotional,
or physical outbursts, sexual disorders, and weight loss
- Other neurological abnormalities, especially with more advanced
disease and including motor signs such as increased muscle tone,
myoclonus, or gait disorder
- Seizure in advanced disease
- CT normal for age
|
| (4) |
Features that make diagnosis of probable AD unlikely:
|
| |
- Sudden onset
- Focal neurologic findings
- Seizures or gait disturbance early in the course of the illness
|
| (1) |
Criteria for clinical diagnosis of possible AD: |
| |
- Atypical onset, presentation, or clinical course of dementia
in the absence of other neurologic, psychiatric or systemic disease
- Presence of a second systemic or brain disorder sufficient
to produce dementia but not considered to be the cause of the
dementia
- Single, gradually progressive, severe cognitive deficit identified
in the absence of other identifiable cause
|
| (1) |
Criteria for definite AD: |
| |
- Clinical criteria for probable AD
- Histopathological evidence obtained from a biopsy or autopsy
|