Identifying bvFTD Within the Wide Spectrum of Late Onset XXXX : A Clinical Approach.

@entity1 @entity308 @entity146 @entity303 @entity75
OBJECTIVE: The behavioral variant of frontotemporal @entity303 (bvFTD) can be difficult to diagnose because of the extensive differential diagnosis, including many other diseases presenting with a @entity75 . We aimed to identify the diagnostic spectrum causing a late onset @entity75 and examine the quality of commonly used instruments to distinguish between bvFTD and non-bvFTD @entity1 , within this syndrome. METHODS: A total of 137 @entity1 fulfilling the criteria of late onset @entity75 , aged 45 to 75 years, were included in a prospective observational study. Diagnoses were made after clinical and neuropsychological examination, and neuroimaging and cerebral spinal fluid results were taken into account. Baseline characteristics and the scores on the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE), frontal assessment battery (FAB), Frontal Behavioral Inventory (FBI), and Stereotypy Rating Inventory (SRI) were compared between the bvFTD and the non-bvFTD group. RESULTS: Fifty-five (40%) of the @entity1 received a bvFTD diagnosis (33% probable and 7% possible bvFTD). Fifty-one @entity1 (37%) had a @entity146 , including 20 with major @entity308 . Thirty-one @entity1 received an alternative neurological, including neurodegenerative, diagnosis. MMSE and FAB scores were unspecific for a particular diagnosis. A score above 12 on the positive FBI subscale or a score above 5 on the SRI were indicative of a bvFTD diagnosis. CONCLUSION: A broad spectrum of both neurological and @entity146 underlies late onset @entity75 , of which bvFTD was the most prevalent diagnosis in our cohort. The commonly used MMSE and the FAB could not successfully distinguish between bvFTD and non-bvFTD, but this could be achieved with the more specific FBI and SRI.
