ABSTRACT
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) progresses at a variable rate, making it difficult to predict the length of delay for a patient to reach clinical milestones, such as the loss of autonomy, institutionalization or even death. The inherent interpatient variability in the disease course also reduces the accuracy with which one can predict the therapeutic response of a given patient. A better knowledge of the natural history of the disease may have important implications for patient care, for the development of interventions and for public health. We will review the current knowledge concerning the main factors that influence cognitive and functional decline in the major degenerative dementias: AD, dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD).
