[Dementia and pseudodementia in the municipality of Ringkobing]

Social services estimated on September 1, 1997 that 221 individuals out of a population of about 16,000 in the whole of Ringkøbing County were believed to suffer from dementia. Citizens believed to suffer from dementia were offered an assessment by a trained nurse and a general practitioner. In the following six months, 119 people were screened by the nurse with the Mini Mental State Examination, the Geriatric Depression Scale-15 and Gottfries-Brane-Steen scale for evaluating functional deficiencies in demented patients. In addition, somatic and laboratory screening was done by the GP's. Approximately 40 citizens or 33% were not found to suffer from dementia but suffered from other illnesses. One year later all the GP's answered questionnaires concerning number of cases of depression, hypothyroidism, vitamin B12 deficiency or other illnesses not earlier known to the GP. Twenty-two diseases were identified and six patients improved.