Etiological pattern of demented patients attending in a tertiary hospital.

: This is a cross sectional study where 125 demented patients were enrolled who attended in neurology department of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) Hospital. The purpose of the study was to find out the etiology of dementia. Dementia was diagnosed by the criteria indicated by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-IV and confirmed by Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) score. Diagnosis of specific type of dementia was made on the basis of established criteria. The most common etiological factor was post stroke dementia (PSDE) (36%) followed by Alzheimer's disease (AD) (14.4%), multi infarct dementia (MID) (8%), Mixed AD and PSDE (6.4%), vitamin B₁₂ deficiency (4.8%) etc. Vascular dementia is the most common etiological factor. Next to this is the Alzheimer disease. This study will provide baseline information regarding the types of dementia occurring in Bangladeshi population and will be the basis of planning health program and data for future research.