A psychogeriatric assessment program. II. Clinical and laboratory findings

In a Psycholgeriatric Assessment Program, the statistical evaluation of clinical and laboratory data related to thyroid function in 80 patients led to the conclusion that: 1) differences in thyroid function between psychogeriatric patients of the organic and functional types were only slight, as determined by clinical symptoms and thyroxine blood levels, and 2) factor analysis for 53 selected variables indicated that loading for "gross disturbance of psychobiologic function" may be related to the symptom complex of hyperthyroidism/hyperadrenergism, and particularly to psychobiologic symptoms rather than purely somatic symptoms of hyperthyroidism. In comparison with a group of 60 healthy old people, the psychogeriatric patients showed many more signs of hyperactivity and other characteristics of this symptom complex. The results supported the preliminary impression of an energetic (hyperthyroid-sympathicotonic) reaction to mental decline, accompanied by plasma corticosteroid and electroencephalographic changes.