Faculty Bibliography

One part of the diagnosis of the dementia of Alzheimer's disease uses a relatively simple test of the patients mental state and abilities, like this one, called the Mini Mental State Inpatient Consultation Form

Rumors of Reagan's illness had spread through political circles for months, spurred in part by visits with friends who were struck by the deterioration in his thought process. Edmund Morris, Reagan's biographer, described him as forgetting the punch line of a favorite story. Reagan's doctors said they began considering a diagnosis of Alzheimer's a year ago. One of Reagan's associates, who spoke on condition that he not be identified, said Reagan 'was having a definite memory problem' two years ago, and other associates said he had changed markedly in recent months. Reagan's failing memory might be caused by other factors related to the variety of medical problems that have affected Reagan during the years, [Daniel Ruge] said. Among them are the subdural hematoma, the numerous anesthetics he had for surgery on his colon, prostate and gunshot injuries, and the period when his blood pressure fell to dangerous levels from bleeding after the assassination attempt

Former President Ronald Reagan's announcement on Nov 5, 1994 that he has Alzheimer's disease and diagnosis and treatment of the degenerative disorder are discussed

In disclosing that he had developed Alzheimer's disease, former President Ronald Reagan said he wanted to make more Americans aware of the incurable illness, which is characterized by progressive mental and physical deterioration and which affects an estimated 4 million Americans. Experts like Dr. Calvin H. Hirsch of the University of California at Davis said it is theoretically possible that Alzheimer's affected Reagan in the final months before he left the White House in January 1989, nearly six years ago. But they cautioned against overinterpretation of any anecdotes that might surface now that Reagan's diagnosis is publicly known. In an interview in 1980, Reagan talked about how his mother, Nellie, was senile 'for a few years before she died' of a stroke as a complication of arteriosclerosis at age 80. More recently, noting that his memory failed from time to time, Reagan told an associate that he wondered whether he might have inherited Alzheimer's from his mother

In disclosing that he had developed Alzheimer's disease, former President Ronald Reagan said he wanted to make more Americans aware of the incurable illness, which is characterized by progressive mental and physical deterioration and which affects an estimated 4 million Americans. Dr. Daniel Ruge, who was the White House physician in Reagan's first term, said Sunday that he did not notice any indication of Alzheimer's disease in talking to the president almost daily during the White House years. In an interview in 1980, Reagan talked about how his mother, Nellie, was senile ''for a few years before she died'' of a stroke as a complication of arteriosclerosis at age 80. More recently, noting that his memory failed from time to time, Reagan told an associate that he wondered whether he might have inherited Alzheimer's from his mother

In disclosing on Nov 5, 1994 that he had developed Alzheimer's disease, former President Ronald Reagan said he wanted to make more people aware of the incurable illness, which affects some four million Americans. Many doctors are now applauding the announcement, saying they expect it to lead to greater public awareness. The symptoms and likely progression of the disease are described

Doctors may also be diagnosing toxoplasmosis and other conditions today when they would have called them dementia only a few years ago. 'Five years ago, anybody with altered mental status was labeled as having dementia without much thought about all the other things that could cause that,' Dr. [Justin S. McArthur] said. 'Now people are probably more specific about using that diagnosis,' in part because of wider use of magnetic resonance imaging and other technologies that help earlier detection of brain infections and other damage to the nervous system. 'Dementia may well be overlooked by a standard, even quite careful, physical examination or follow-up visit,' Dr. McArthur said. 'It is really not until you probe cognitive and memory function that you will find deficits. A social, 'How are you today?' will often get a reasonable response in somebody who has AIDS dementia. But the response may not reflect what is really going on.' 'This is the first time H.I.V. has caused AIDS-like syndromes in an animal other than a human,' said Dr. Susan Barnett, a molecular biologist at the Chiron Corporation in Emeryville, Calif. 'The infection in baboons mirrors the progression of the disease in humans, and that's very exciting to us.'

Despite widespread use of drugs to combat the AIDS virus, which earlier studies had shown to protect against infections that affect the brain and central nervous system, the incidence of such damage is increasing among those with the disease, a new study from a federal AIDS project has found. The study, reported in the Oct 1994 issue of Neurology, said that dementia was the only one of six neurological conditions for which the rate did not increase from 1985 to 1992

A new federally financed study has found that women who have abortions increase their risk of breast cancer. The authors of the study cautioned that the overall results should be viewed as hypotheses, because of limitations in the way the study was designed and conducted. The study, which was conducted by Janet R. Daling of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, is scheduled to be reported in the Nov 2, 1994 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute

An experimental new immune therapy for rheumatoid arthritis has shown significant promise in two small short-term studies being reported by researchers in England. The results of the studies, sponsored by Centocor Inc, the drug's manufacturer, were published on Oct 22, 1994 in the Lancet