DEMOGRAPHIC AND CLINICAL-FEATURES OF PATIENTS ATTENDING A MEMORY CLINIC

Basic demographic and clinical features of the first 418 patients assessed at the Maudsley Memory Clinic are reported. Alzheimer's disease was the most frequent diagnosis (57%), followed by a group of patients complaining of memory problems but with no obvious neuropsychiatric diagnosis (24%). The latter were more likely to be younger unmarried self-referred women living alone and with a frequent family history of dementia. The routine use of extensive laboratory investigations in memory clinics is not recommended, considering the meagre number of subjects suffering from reversible conditions identified in our clinic. The Maudsley Memory Clinic has proved to be a popular centre for the assessment and diagnosis of patients with memory complaints and has provided a useful source of subjects for research into memory-associated disorders. The role of memory clinics in the new financial climate in the National Health Service remains to be determined.