Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Demencia, una enfermedad evolutiva: demencia severa. Identificación de demencia terminal

2009; Elsevier BV; Volume: 44; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.regg.2009.05.009

1578-1747

Françesc Formiga, María José Robles, Isabel Fort-Gallifa,

Frailty in Older Adults

Because of the aging population, the incidence and prevalence of dementia has increased. The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer's disease. The present review focuses on the progression and prognosis of this disease, although many of the issues discussed can be extrapolated to other types of dementia. Despite public education efforts in recent years, dementia continues to have a tremendous impact on the patient, the primary caregiver and/or family and society in general. A diagnosis of dementia shortens life expectancy. Mean survival time is generally about 10 years but varies from person to person, depending on several factors. Through various scales, such as the Global Deterioration Scale (GDS), complemented by Functional Assessment Staging (FAST), disease progression can be monitored and patients who are terminally ill can be identified in the absence of factors of poor outcome. Thus, the correct measures can be implemented to ensure an appropriate end of life in patients with dementia.