clinical ad Flashcards
what is dementia
an illness of brain resulting in impairments in multiple spheres of cognition
what is the #1 risk factor for dementia
age
T/F : dementia implies an etiology or diagnosis
FALSE
what are some diagnosis barriers for dementia
- patient is typically unaware of symptoms
- evaluation may be time consuming and not well compensated financially
- belief that memory loss and cognitive decline are part of normal aging
- belief by physicians and public that AD is not treatable
about how long is the delay between symptoms and diagnosis with AD
about 2 years
what’s the general path of symptoms that a patient with AD may experience as their disease progresses?
starts with cognitive symptoms, then diagnosis, then loss of function and independence, then behvaior issues, and then potential nursing home placement, then death
give an example of an ability that someone with a 20 MMSE score may start to lose or show signs of having difficulty with.
keeping appointments, using phone, obtaining meal or snack, traveling alone
most alzheimer’s patients die from what? what does not typically cause death with AD?
- being bed-bound/bed sores
- not typically caused by cognitive decline or mental impariments
what is the typical medical causes doctors rule out prior to diagnosing dementia?
alcoholic dementia, vitamin deficiencies, tumors, seizures, MS, infections, brain lesions
approximately what percent of the US population +65 is demented?
13.1 - 5.8million people
Decline in _____ causes someone to go from normal to mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Decline in _______ causes someone to go from MCI to dementia.
- cognition
- function
approximately what percent of the US population 65+ has MCI or dementia
29% - over 12 million people
AD8 screening is used to assess what? what kinds of questions are asked?
-used to assess cognitive impairment by asking family members questions as a checklist that identify if a person could have AD based on how many answers are NO to questions.
- ex. “does your family member have trouble remembering appointments”
Montreal Cognitive Assessment is used for what?
a bedside cognitive screening where patients answer questions of a wide range to test cognitive function and is sensitive to early decline
what’s one downside to the Montreal Cognitive Assessment?
takes about 15 minutes so may be better to break up into pieces
the ROS identifies what main groups to assess dementia?
mood, behavior, psychosis, sleep, physical/motor skillsw
what are some common behaviors with dementia?
- hallucinations/delusions
-abusive/combative behavior
-short term memory loss/repetition - wandering/pacing
- agitation
- wanting to go home
- lethargy/lack of initiative
-rummaging/hoarding
why is behavior a problem with ADRD?
memory is a part of the limbic symstem which is hit early and hard in every neurodegenerative disorder
how early can behavioral symptoms occur? depression? agitation?
-behavioral symptoms occur 3 years before diagnosis in 40%
-depression occurs 2 years before diagnosis in 60%
-agitation occurs 1 year before diagnosis in 80%
what differences do we see in hippocampal size in normal aging vs MCI vs AD at same age (75yr old) compared to a 25yr old
- normal is slightly shrunk but not much
- MCI is significantly shrunk but still has right shape
- AD is warped and almost completed depleted
on a FDG-PET (fluorodeoxyglucose) what do we see different between normal and AD brain scans?
the normal scan lights up but the AD brain does not
what test is typically used to assess AD in the clinical setting?
Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)
how does an FDG-PET scan work
you are injected a sugary substance that your brain absorbs and activates various parts of the brain where high activity is
regular pet scans utilize what kind of substance to measure pathology in the brain?
radioactive compounds that bind to neurofibrillary tangles and plaques
can amyloid plaques be present in the brain and symptoms of AD not present themselves?
YES – plaques form years prior to any symptoms arising
what is the delay (years) between plaques appearing in HPC and AD diagnosis
15 years
what is one way csf is utilized in AD diagnosis
spinal taps can help to measure abnormal tau proteins in csf to diagnose AD
how are blood markers utilized in AD diagnosis
they measure for abnormal tau proteins in the blood
the Preclivity test using what to identify AD?
blood tests