Dementia: the search for treatable causes.

Of 100 consecutive cases of dementia, 23 were found to be of treatable or reversible causes. Many of these patients had been labeled as having "senile dementia" and some were en route to chronic care facilities. The implications of overlooking a treatable cause of dementia are obvious but cannot be overemphasized. An evaluation of dementia with emphasis on the potentially correctable causes is outlined.