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Letter
“Who came with you?” A diagnostic observation in patients with memory problems?
  1. A J Larner
  1. Cognitive Function Clinic, Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Liverpool, UK
  1. Correspondence to:
 Dr A J Larner
 Cognitive Function Clinic, Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Lower Lane, Fazakerley, Liverpool, L9 7LJ, UK; a.larnerthewaltoncentre.nhs.uk

https://doi.org/10.1136/jnnp.2005.068023

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    The importance of obtaining collateral history when assessing patients attending the neurology clinic complaining of memory difficulties is well known.1,2 Patients developing amnesia in the context of Alzheimer’s disease may underplay their difficulties because of cognitive anosognosia, whereas those with purely subjective memory complaints (the “worried well”) may overemphasise difficulties. Memory complaint, preferably corroborated by an informant, is one of the suggested diagnostic criteria of mild cognitive impairment (MCI).3 Misdiagnosis of memory complaints may occur when no collateral history is available.4

    For these reasons, all patients referred to my cognitive function clinic are sent, …

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    • Competing interests: none