Handbook of Dementing Illnesses PDF

Preface

Much has been achieved about the diagnosis, management, and neurobiological understanding of the primary and secondary causes of dementia since the first edition of this Handbook was published in 1994. As but one example, the chapter on the treatment of dementing disorders in the first Handbook was entitled "Experimental Pharmacotherapy of the Primary Symptoms of Dementia" because no approved therapies existed when it was written. Subsequently, five drugs for the symptomatic treatment of Alzheimer's disease have been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration. An up-to-date compendium about dementing illnesses clearly is needed to present new knowledge and advances in a clinically meaningful text that is relevant for the diagnosis and care of individuals with dementia.

We are grateful that Taylor & Francis has provided us with the opportunity to develop this second edition of the Handbook. We are particularly appreciative that the contributors to this monograph, all of whom are noted authorities in their field, delivered such masterful chapters and are indebted to them for their contributions. An unavoidable aspect of producing a multiauthored textbook is that chapters are submitted at differing time points, occasionally at some length prior to publication. Coupled with the remarkable pace of scientific and clinical advances in the dementing illnesses, this aspect necessarily demands that chapters represent the generally accepted body of knowledge concerning their respective topics rather than an up-to-the minute review of emerging concepts. In response, a unique feature of this Handbook is a timely update of selected issues in dementia that was published independently by one of the Editors (JCM) and permission was granted for it to be reprinted here. It is hoped that this feature will aid the interested reader in staying abreast of evolving concepts in the dementing illnesses as appreciated at the time it was written.

We are deeply privileged to work with the investigators and staff of the Memory and Aging Project and the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. They have contributed in many ways, both large and small, to this Handbook and we thank them for their contributions to creating the stimulating environment in which we work each day. We also are grateful to our research participants and their study partners and to our patients and their families, who daily teach us about commitment to loved ones, grace under pressure, and the pressing need to conquer the dementing illnesses.

This work would not have been accomplished without the gentle but effective guidance of Janice Palmer, RN, MSG, who displayed remarkable skills in bringing together innumerable and disparate pieces into a cohesive whole.

Finally, we wish to dedicate this second edition of the Handbook of Dementing Illnesses to our spouses, Lucy Morris, Tracy Holtzman, and Doris Galvin, whose support make our work possible.