[Clinical diagnosis and therapeutic possibilities for dementia of the Alzheimer type].

This review article tries to define some guidelines how to proceed in the clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. In addition, the article will discuss presently available pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatments of this disease. The first part of the article will describe diagnostic measures (physical and neuropsychological examination, test manuals, laboratory and apparative tests), and which order of sequence should be observed. Special attention is paid to disorders different from Alzheimer's disease and to take care not to overlook dementia syndromes which can be treated. In the second part of the article, therapeutic strategies, both pharmacological and nonpharmacological ones, are mentioned. Approaches to treatment of cognitive core symptoms and treatment strategies with regard to secondary psychiatric symptoms which may occur in Alzheimer's disease are discussed.