The diagnosis of dementia associated with alcoholism: a preliminary report of a new approach.

The historical, clinical, neurological and neuropsychological features of 13 subjects with independently diagnosed dementia associated with alcoholism (AlcD) were compared to 13 subjects with probable Alzheimer's disease (AD), matched for age and severity of dementia. Neurological abnormalities were present in all the subjects with AlcD even though the diagnosis of Wernicke-Korsakoff was recorded in only one of these subjects. Only one subject with probable AD demonstrated any neurological abnormality. There was no difference between the AD and AlcD subjects in either the total scores of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) or in any of the subscores. The presence of neurological signs does appear to be a useful method to assist in the diagnosis of AlcD.