[Consensus statement of an interdisciplinary group of French experts on modalities of diagnosis and medical treatment of Alzheimer's disease at a treatable stage].

A group of French expert met on the 7th and 8th of February 1998 in order to establish a consensus attitude for Alzheimer's disease diagnosis and treatment. Members were drawn from primary care, geriatrics, neurology and psychiatry. They used the consensus statement of the American Association for Geriatrics, the Alzheimer's Association and the American Geriatrics Society published in JAMA, in October 1997 as a source of data for further consideration. Alzheimer's disease in the most common etiology of dementia. Main clinical features are cognitive impairment and psycho-behavioral disorders. Diagnosis must be one of inclusion and not exclusion. It is based on interviews of informants and family members and office-based clinical assessment. After a physical examination, cognitive function must be evaluated using the Mini-Mental State Examination. A laboratory evaluation should include a complete blood cell count, blood chemistry and determination of thyroid-stimulating hormone. In addition, noncontrast computed tomography head scans are adequate in most cases. Available pharmacologic treatments are not curative but are given to improve quality of life and enhance cognition and behavior. Two cholinesterases inhibitors, tacrine and donepezil, are the only agents officially authorized for treatment of the cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease. Mood and behaviour disorder also have to be treated by both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic strategies. Only pharmacologic treatments will be detailed here. The consensus statements established by this group of experts will be reevaluated each year, considering the new available data on Alzheimer's disease.