McKeith I G
Br J Psychiatry. 1984 Oct;145:389-93. doi: 10.1192/bjp.145.4.389.
The dexamethasone suppression test (DST) was administered to 95 patients referred to a psychogeriatric assessment service. Non-suppression of plasma cortisol was found in 28 out of 48 patients (58%) with senile dementia and all patients with arteriosclerotic dementia or acute confusional states. Non-suppression could not be explained by associated depressive symptoms. The DST was confirmed as a valid diagnostic test for endogenous depression in the elderly, but its value in distinguishing true dementing illnesses from depressive pseudodementia was not supported. The clinical implications of these findings for interpreting DST results in the elderly are discussed.
对95名转至老年精神病评估服务机构的患者进行了地塞米松抑制试验（DST）。在48名老年痴呆患者中有28名（58%）以及所有患有动脉硬化性痴呆或急性意识模糊状态的患者中，均发现血浆皮质醇未被抑制。未被抑制不能用相关的抑郁症状来解释。DST被确认为老年人内源性抑郁症的有效诊断试验，但它在区分真正的痴呆性疾病和抑郁性假性痴呆方面的价值未得到证实。讨论了这些发现对解释老年人DST结果的临床意义。
