Dementia Flashcards
What are the common causes of dementia (6)?
- Alzheimer’s Disease (AD)
- Vascular Dementia (VaD)
- Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD)
- Dementia with Lewy Body (DLB)
- Depression (Reversible)
- Delirium (Reversible)
What is the clinical process in diagnosing dementia and its cause (6)?
- Referral
- History
- Examination
- Investigations
- Diagnosis
- Management
What is involved in a history taking / interview for the diagnosis of dementia and its cause (16)?
Name half.
- Memory
- Language
- Numerical Skills
- Executive skills
- Visuospatial skills
- Neglect phenomena
- Visual perception
- Route finding and landmark identification
- Personality and social conduct
- Sexual behaviour
- Eating
- Mood
- Motivation / Apathy
- Anxiety / Agitation
- Delusions / Hallucinations
- Activities of daily living
+ Chronology of each
What is involved in an examination for the diagnosis of dementia and its cause (2)?
Mini mental state examination (MMSE)
+/- ACEIII
What is involved in an investigation for the diagnosis of dementia and its cause (B 8 / +1)?
-
Bloods:
- Full blood count
- Inflammatory Markers
- Thyroid Function
- Biochemistry and renal function
- Glucose
- B12 and folate Clotting
- Syphilis serology HIV
- Caeruloplasmin
- MRI scan
What symptoms would help differentiate the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease from other types of dementia?
Subtle, gradual amnestic / non amnestic presentations
What symptoms would help differentiate the diagnosis of Vascular Dementia from other types of dementia?
Related to cerebrovascular diseases with a classical step-wise deterioration +/- multiple infarcts
What symptoms would help differentiate the diagnosis of Dementia with Lewy bodies from other types of dementia?
- Cognitive impairment before / within 1 year of Parkinsonian symptoms
- Visual hallucinations
- Fluctuating cognition
What symptoms would help differentiate the diagnosis of Frontotemporal Dementia from other types of dementia?
- Behaviour variant FTD
- Semantic dementia, progressive non-fluent aphasia
How is demenita managed (5)?
- Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors
- Watch and wait
- Treating behavioural / psychological symptoms
- OT / Social services
- Specialist therapies
