Diagnosis of Dementia

Dementia cannot be diagnosed through a single test. A comprehensive evaluation, including a thorough medical history, mental status examination, laboratory tests, and imaging studies, is necessary for a physician to diagnose dementia.  

Why diagnosis of dementia is complex and hard?

Dementia shares similar symptoms with other medical conditions such as depression, stroke, alcoholism, hormonal imbalances, nutrient deficiencies, and brain tumors. However, unlike these conditions, dementia cannot be cured.  

Therefore, it's crucial for doctors to rule out other illnesses before making a diagnosis of dementia. A misdiagnosis can have serious consequences. A comprehensive evaluation, including a thorough medical history, mental status exam, laboratory tests, and imaging studies, is necessary for an accurate diagnosis of dementia.

What are the specific test items for dementia?

Medical history

A comprehensive medical history not only enables physicians to rapidly determine the extent of dementia, but also to identify potential overdiagnosis.  

Mental status exam

A doctor may assess a patient's mental status by asking questions that test their common sense, such as inquiring about the current date or year, or asking the patient to perform simple tasks such as repeating a phrase.

Here is a Dementia Test(Self-Assessment)

Laboratory tests

Blood and urine tests can assist physicians in determining whether symptoms are a result of medication.

Lab test terms may include 

Thyroid hormone tests 

Vitamin B12 blood test

Complete blood count(CBC)

ALT or AST blood test

Chemistry screen

Glucose test

HIV testing

Erythrocyte sedimentation rate blood test

Toxicology screen

Antinuclear antibodies blood test

Imaging tests

CT scans and MRI are brain imaging tests which shows the damaged part of the brain