Thursday, November 02, 2006

Alzheimer Disease

Alzheimer Disease (Dementia)                               

General: Diffuse brain atrophy coming on well before the senile period of life; progressive; etiology currently unknown but hereditary disorder suspected; terminally, nearly decorticate, with loss of all ability to think, perceive, speak, or move.

Ocular: Fixed dilated pupil; optic atrophy; decreased contrast sensitivity, color vision, and stereo vision; abnormalities of the optic nerve head and nerve fiber layer; controversy exists regarding the ability to diagnose patients with Alzheimer disease by their marked hypersensitivity in pupil dilation response to tropicamide.

Clinical: Emotional disturbances; depression; anxiety; antisocial behavior; aphasia; apraxic disturbances; abnormalities of space perception; shuffling gait; generalized shuffling gait with short steps; disturbances in thought process.

Bassi CJ, et al. Vision in aging and dementia. Optom Vis Sci 1993; 70:809-813.

Braunwald E, et al., eds. Harrison’s principles of internal medicine, 11th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1987.

Roy FH. Ocular differential diagnosis. 7th ed. Philadelphia: Lea & Febiger, 2002.

Tsai CS, et al. Optic nerve head and nerve fiber layer in Alzheimer's disease. Arch Ophthalmol 1991; 109:199-204.

Wolin MJ. Alzheimer's disease and the eye. J South Carolina Med Assoc 1994; 90:534-538.

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