Alzheimer’s diagnosis: Should patients know?
A team of British psychiatrists and an expert in geriatric medicine have weighed in on telling patients they have early-stage Alzheimer’s disease, arguing in a letter to the British Medical Journal that it is the patient’s right to know.
Even so, a study of 133 British specialists in geriatric medicine surveyed by the magazine found that many withhold the information and that no one has a clear protocol for what to do. Almost a third told less than 20% of their early-stage Alzheimer’s patients their diagnosis. Another third told between 20% and 80% of those afflicted. And about 40% of the doctors said they were open with four of five of their Alzheimer’s patients.
The information, published in the journal’s January issue, quotes one British psychiatrist as saying withholding information creates practical and ethical issues.
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