Artículo de revista
Alzheimer’s disease or behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia? Review of key points toward an accurate clinical and neuropsychological diagnosis
Date
2020Registration in:
J Alzheimers Dis. 2020 ; 73(3): 833–848
10.3233/JAD-190924
Author
Musa Salech, Gada
Slachevsky Chonchol, Andrea
Muñoz Neira, Carlos
Méndez, Carolina
Villagra Castro, Roque
González Billault, Christian
Ibáñez, Agustín
Hornberger, Michael
Lillo, Patricia
Institutions
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) are the most common neurodegenerative early-onset dementias. Despite the fact that both conditions have a very distinctive clinical pattern, they present with an overlap in their cognitive and behavioral features that may lead to misdiagnosis or delay in diagnosis. The current review intends to summarize briefly the main differences at the clinical, neuropsychological, and behavioral levels, in an attempt to suggest which aspects would facilitate an adequate diagnosis in a clinical setting, especially in Latin American and low- and middle-income countries, where the resources needed for a differential diagnosis (such as MRI or biomarkers) are not always available. A timely diagnosis of AD and FTD have significant implications for the medical management and quality of life of patients and careers.