1b Dementia Flashcards
What is the most commonest form of dementia?
Alzheimers Disease
What is Dementia?
A fatal neurodegenerative disorder which is characterised by progressive cognitive, social and functional impairment
What has the most modest symptomatic benefit in early stages?
Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors
What two forms of dementia are most likely to occur together?
Vascular and Alzheimers
What are the stages of dementia on the continuum scale?
Preclinical -> MCI -> Dementia
Which of B1, B6 and B12 deficiencies can particularly reduce cognitive function?
B12
What occurs in the preclinical stage of declining cognitive function?
Deterioration of someone’s cellular function without clinical manifestation
Eg. Increase in Amyloid
Increase in Tau B
Neuroinflammation
Give examples of some of the endocrine causes of dementia?
Hypothyroidism - thyroid hormones induce changes in amyloid precursor processing or deposition of amyloid-beta
Cushing’s
Addison’s
Why is it hard to accurately diagnose dementia in clinic?
The disease follows a heterogenous course
In old age the disease presentation is of multiple co-morbidities
Are younger patients or older patients more typical in dementia?
Younger patients are more typical
Why is it harder to diagnose Dementia with older aged patients?
In old age the disease presentation includes a lot of different co-morbidities
What does the clinical diagnosis of Dementia lie most in?
History Taking
Dementia risk factors?
Ageing
Brain trauma
Oral health
Genetic factors
Midlife obesity
Reduced physical activity
Infections or systemic inflammation
What aspect of memory is impaired in dementia?
Short term memory
What is the checklist of things to ask patients and collateral in the interview?
Memory
Language - communicate how they feel and for diagnosis
Numerical skills - calculating finances and pay bills
Executive skills
Visuospatial skills - acidentally backing into other people’s cars
Neglect phenomena
Visual perception
Route finding and landmark identification
Personality and social conduct - knowing personality before symptoms start
Sexual behaviour - as alzheimers and temporal dementia develop they feel less-inhibited
Eating
Mood
Motivation/Apathy
Anxiety/Agitation
Delusions
Activities of daily living
Why is it important for physicians to interview collateral as well as the patient?
Typically patients will deny any symptoms and say that their decline is normal for someone of their age
What is the definition of dementia?
Severe loss of memory and cognitive abilities which leads to impaired daily function (regardless of the underlying cause)
Which examination should be done for dementia?
Neurological Mental State
Which investigations should you do for Dementia?
Neuropsychology
Bloods
MRI
PET