Cognitive Disorders Flashcards
tremor, extrapyramidal sx, frontal dizziness, ad sluggish pupillary reflexes
tertiary syphillis
What 2 tests are a part of every initial psychiatric workup
Venereal Disease Research Lab Test (VDRL) and TSH
waxing and waning change in a patient’s level of consciousness
Delirium
Causes of delirium
Alcohol/Drugs toxicity or withdrawl, Electrolyte imbalance, Iatrogenic, Oxygen hypoxia, uremia, Trauma, Infection, Poisons, Seizures, Stroke (AEIOU TIPS)
Risk factors for delirium (9)
Advanced age, preexisting brain damage (dementia, CVA), prior history of delirium, alcohol dependence, diabtes, cancer, sensory impairment or blindness, malnutrion and male gender
2 typical sx of delirium
Visual hallucinations and short attention span
clinical manifestation of delirium
disorientation to time and place rarely person, language distrubances, changes in speech, perceptual disturbances, disturbance in psychomotor activity, emotional disturbance, inability to shift attention appropriately
Most common finding in delirium
impairment in recent memory
delirium plus hemiparesis or other focal neuro signs and sx
CVA or mass lesion
delirium plus elevated blood pressure plus papilledema
hypertensive encephalopathy
delirium plus dilated pupils plus tachycardia
drug intoxication
delirium plus fever plus nuchal rigidity plus photophobia
meningitis
delirium plus tachycardia plus tremor plus thyromegaly
throtoxicosis
which drug class is avoided in treating delirium because it will often exacerbate the delirium
benzos
impairment of memory and cognitive function without alteration in the level of consciousness
Dementia
What should you do if a patient presents with dementia but has a normal CT scan?
order a complete metabolic panel and MRI