Abstract: ObjectiveTo compare the clinical and the pathological diagnosis of elderly with dementia, assess the related factors affecting the diagnosis.MethodsThe 42 autopsied elderly patients with dementia were assessed with the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) criteria and the ischemic scales of Hachinski, Rosen, Loeb and Gandolfo for the clinical diagnosis of dementia. Specificity was calculated using the neuropathologic diagnosis as a gold standard.ResultsThe patients were differentiated with pathology verified Alzheimer's disease (AD), vascular dementia (VaD), and “mixed” (AD plus VaD) dementia, Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD). Comparing clinical criteria and neuropathology, the consistent rate was 80.0% for AD, 52.4% for VaD, 18.2% for AD+VaD and 0.0% for PDD. The consistent rate between 3 scores and the pathological diagnosis was about 40%～70%. There were no significant differences between the average age of onset and the survival time, and the ischemic scales of Hachinski, Rosen, Loeb and Gandolfo among the 4 types of dementia. There was no significant difference in the specificity of the NINDS criteria among the 4 types of dementia.ConclusionDementia associated with cerebrovascular disease and Parkinson's disease is the main factor affecting the diagnosis of elderly with dementia. There is no significant difference for the diagnosis of dementia among the ischemic scales of Hachinski, Rosen, Loeb and Gandolfo.

Key words: dementia, elderly, clinical diagnosis, pathological diagnosis