Survival versus Prognosis in Alzheimer Disease
Authors: Eric B. Larson, James D. Bowen, Wayne C. McCormick
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2004)

Letters5 October 2004Survival versus Prognosis in Alzheimer DiseaseEric B. Larson, MD, MPH, James D. Bowen, MD, and Wayne C. McCormick, MD, MPHEric B. Larson, MD, MPHFrom Group Health Cooperative, Center for Health Studies, and University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98105.Search for more papers by this author, James D. Bowen, MDFrom Group Health Cooperative, Center for Health Studies, and University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98105.Search for more papers by this author, and Wayne C. McCormick, MD, MPHFrom Group Health Cooperative, Center for Health Studies, and University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98105.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-141-7-200410050-00020 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail IN RESPONSE:We appreciate Dr. Kaldjian's interest in our paper on survival after initial diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. We did not collect data on treatment limitations that preceded death. We do, however, contend that for virtually any chronic disease, “a mixture of biological and social realities” will contribute to the natural history of that disease. Our study consisted of persons with newly recognized Alzheimer disease, 70% of whom had Mini-Mental State Examination scores greater than 18. Thus, it is highly likely that decisions to limit treatment would have had little effect on duration of survival during most of the time ...References1. McCormick WC, Kukull WA, van Belle G, Bowen JD, Teri L, Larson EB. Symptom patterns and comorbidity in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1994;42:517-21. [PMID: 8176147] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. McCormick WC, Kukull WA, van Belle G, Bowen JD, Teri L, Larson EB. The effect of diagnosing Alzheimer's disease on frequency of physician visits: a case–control study. J Gen Intern Med. 1995;10:187-93. [PMID: 7790979] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. McCormick WC, Hardy J, Kukull WA, Bowen JD, Teri L, Zitzer S, et al . Healthcare utilization and costs in managed care patients with Alzheimer's disease during the last few years of life. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2001;49:1156-60. [PMID: 11559373] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Group Health Cooperative, Center for Health Studies, and University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98105. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoSurvival after Initial Diagnosis of Alzheimer Disease Eric B. Larson , Marie-Florence Shadlen , Li Wang , Wayne C. McCormick , James D. Bowen , Linda Teri , and Walter A. Kukull Dementia, Prognosis, and the Needs of Patients and Caregivers Kenneth E. Covinsky and Kristine Yaffe Survival versus Prognosis in Alzheimer Disease Eric B. Larson , James D. Bowen , and Wayne C. McCormick Survival versus Prognosis in Alzheimer Disease Lauris C. Kaldjian Metrics 5 October 2004Volume 141, Issue 7Page: 575KeywordsAlzheimer diseaseCaregiversFallsLong-term careMini mental state examinationMortalityNatural history of diseaseNeurodegenerative diseasesPatientsSigns and symptoms ePublished: 5 October 2004 Issue Published: 5 October 2004 CopyrightCopyright © 2004 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...