Summary
Aricept, Namenda, Risperdal are grossly overused in the treatment of patients with suspected dementia Many patients with dementia have not received proper diagnosis, and do not receive proper treatment Better public and medical education will hopefully reverse this glaring deficit in our medical systems
Analysis
Americans are living longer, and the incidence and prevalence of dementia is expected to increase markedly in the next several decades.
So far, no treatment for dementia has been found, but many of dementia patients have secondary dementia, which may respond to the treatment of the primary condition. It is the failure to recognize this subset of patients that represents our true failure in caring for these patients
Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus, a treatable condition that causes secondary dementia, is underdiagnosed. Codman, a division of Johnson & Johnson has been at the forefront of the treatment and public education regarding this disease. I see many patients with this condition who have not received a proper workup before the diagnosis of untreatable dementia is given. The patient is typically never given a later workup, and therefore, there is never a chance to uncover the real diagnosis.
Many other conditions such as hypothyroidism, polypharmacy, medication side effects, brain tumors, and brain hemorrhages are also treatable if properly diagnosed.
