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Rapidly progressive dementia (RPD) has causes ranging from potentially treatment-responsive conditions like nutritional deficiencies and autoimmune encephalitis (AE) to nonresponsive Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD). The rapid distinction — usually within 1 or 2 years of symptom onset — is critical to allow for early treatment and guide care planning ().
Researchers in the Netherlands conducted a multicenter, prospective cohort study of 147 patients (median age, 67 years) who developed dementia within 1 year of symptom onset. The evaluation included autoimmune neurological antibody testing in all patients and cerebrospinal fluid testing in nearly all.
Overall, 65% of patients had potentially treatment-responsive conditions, whil…