Abstract
Diagnosing endocrine disorders as the underlying cause of cognitive symptoms has essential importance since adequate treatment of hormonal dysfunction may improve neurological manifestations. Hypothyroidism may cause decrease in cognition very similar to depression, with a very good effect of substitution therapy.
Therefore thyroid hormone level dosage is useful in dementia screening. A rare but treatable cause of rapid progressive dementia is Hashimoto's encephalopathy.
Hyperparathyroidism is often associated with psychiatric features and encephalopathy. Postmenopausal estrogen deficiency is related to increased risk of Alzheimer's disease, the benefit of preventive hormonal substation therapy, however, remains controversial.
Cognitive symptoms in chronic renal disease include mainly uremic encephalopathy and it is important to differentiate manifestation of kidney disease itself and complications due to dialysis.