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Metabolic and endocrinological causes of dementia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 September 2005

Leon Flicker
Affiliation:
School of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
David Ames
Affiliation:
University of Melbourne Department of Psychiatry, Academic Unit for the Psychiatry of Old Age, Victoria, Australia

Abstract

Deficiencies of vitamins B12, B3 and folate, abnormalities of cortisol metabolism, Wilson's disease, renal and hepatic failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypo- and hypernatremia, thyroid and parathyroid dysfunction, hyper- and hypoglycemia and Marchiafava–Bignani disease are metabolic and endocrinological abnormalities that may be associated with cognitive impairment. In some cases these abnormalities may be causative of impaired cognition and in other situations merely associated with cognitive impairment. The existence of these conditions provides some justification for routine investigations commonly performed on patients presenting with possible early dementia.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© International Psychogeriatric Association 2005

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