Immunological factors in senile dementia

Sixty-four patients suffering from senile dementia were compared with 71 age-matched controls suffering from functional psychiatric illness, in terms of their chromosome complement, tuberculin and dinitrochlorobenzene response and total immunoglobulin levels. No significant differences emerged between these groups except for slightly reduced levels of immunoglobulin G in the dement sample. We conclude that senile dementia as a whole is not related to a defect in immunological function.