[Etiology and pathology of 71 dementia patients during presenile and senile periods].

Etiological and pathological findings in 71 patients with dementia during presenile and senile periods were reported. According to the etiological findings these were divided into: vascular dementia (41), Alzheimer's disease (13), Pick's disease (1), Parkinsonian dementia (5), progressive supranuclear palsy (1), Huntington's disease (2), syphilitic general paralysis (2), chronic epidural hematomas (2), normal pressure hydrocephalus (1), brain tumor (1), cerebral cysticercosis cellulosae (1), hypoparathyroidism (1), and 1 case of dementia after stereotactic operations for parkinsonism. In this series, vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease were obviously more frequent. The authors think that it might be difficult to differentiate cortical from subcortical dementia in every demented patient. They also suggest that the term arteriosclerotic dementia should cease to be used.