The myth of senility. Diagnosing nonspecific major illness in the elderly.

In the elderly, physical and mental concemitants of chronic and explainable ill health are often masked by the diagnosis of senility. The presentation of major illness in the elderly is commonly nonspecific, and a full physical examination and tests with special attention to infections and to the signs of endocrine and metabolic disorders should be carried out. Symptoms such as confusion and memory loss, hostile or difficult behavior, and dementia point to different probable causes, and the physician should carefully search for the underlying pathology.