Argentine Consensus on the Diagnosis of Dementia. Part One: Introduction, Methodology, Current Scenario, and Diagnostic Algorithms

Abstract

The Argentine Consensus on the Diagnosis of Dementia is an initiative of the Argentine Association of Biological Psychiatry (AAPB). The primary aim of this document was to develop an efficient tool for the early diagnosis of dementia, targeting both primary care physicians and specialists (neurologists, psychiatrists, geriatricians, internists, and others). Over a five-month period (August–December 2024), followed by a brief update after the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC, Toronto, July 2025), a panel of 23 experts analyzed and discussed the most relevant and up-to-date evidence to establish a systematic diagnostic approach to dementia, with a particular focus on the most prevalent form in Western countries, Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The document is structured into three sections. The first describes the current global landscape of dementia, its distinction from normal aging, recent diagnostic criteria, and diagnostic algorithms for both primary care and specialist settings. The second addresses the diagnostic evaluation framework, including neurocognitive and neuropsychiatric assessment, biomarkers (laboratory, CSF, plasma biomarkers, neuroimaging, genetics), and functional evaluation. The third section provides an overview of the different types of dementia, their clinical features, and current diagnostic criteria, with particular emphasis on differential diagnosis.