dementia Flashcards

1
Q

what are some risk factors for alzheimer’s disease ?

A

increasing age
family history
caucasian ethnicity
down’s sydnrome

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2
Q

what are some pathological changes in Alzheimer’s disease ?

A

macroscopic - widespread cerebral atrophy

microscopic - cortical plaques due to deposition of amyloid protein

biochemical - deficit of ach from damage

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3
Q

what is the non-pharmacological management of alzheimer’s disease ?

A

activities to promote wellbeing
cognitive stimulation therapy

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4
Q

what are some pharmacological management options of Alzheimer’s disease ?

A
  • 3 acetylcholinesterase inhibitors - donepezil, galantamine and rivastigmine
  • memantine
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5
Q

what can be given to manage non-cognitive symptoms in Alzheimer’s disease ?

A

antidepressants for mild to moderate depression

anti-psychotics if risk of harming self

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6
Q

what is donepezil contra-indicated in ?

A

bradycardia

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7
Q

what are some factors that favour delirium over dementia ?

A

acute onset
impairment of consciousness
fluctuation of symptoms
abnormal perception
agitation
delusions

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8
Q

what is the most common cause of dementia in the UK ?

A

alzheimer’s disease

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9
Q

what are the causes of dementia ?

A

alzheimer’s disease
cerebrovascular disease
lewy body disease

rare -
huntington’s
CJD
HIV

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10
Q

what are some potentially treatable differentials of dementia ?

A

hypothyroidism
B12 / folate / thiamine deficiency
syphilis
brain tumour
normal pressure hydrocephalus
depression

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11
Q

what are some investigations of dementia ?

A

a blood screen - exclude reversible causes - FBC, U&E’s, LFTs, calcium, glucose, ESR/CRP, TFT’s, vitamin b12
neuroimaging

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12
Q

what are the common features of frontotemporal lobar dementia ?

A

onset 65
insidious onset
personality change
impaired social conduct
disinhibition
increased appetite
perseveration behaviours

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13
Q

what are the macroscopic changes of frontotemporal dementia ?

A

atrophy of frontal and temporal lobes

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14
Q

what are the microscopic changes of frontotemporal dementia ?

A

pick bodies
gliosis
neurofibrillary tangles
senile plaques

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15
Q

what is lewy body dementia ?

A

characteristic feature is alpha-synuclein cytoplasmic inclusions in the substantia nigra, paralimbic and neocortical areas.

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16
Q

what are the features of lewy body dementia ?

A

progressive cognitive impairment
parkinsonism
visual hallucinations

17
Q

what condition is associated with lewy body dementia ?

A

parkinsons disease

18
Q

how is a diagnosis of lewy body dementia made ?

A

clinical
single-photon emission computed tomography

19
Q

what is the management of lewy body dementia ?

A

ach inhibitors and memantine

20
Q

what medications should be avoided in lewy body dementia ?

A

neuroleptics should be avoided

21
Q

what is vascular dementia ?

A

not a single disease but a group of syndromes of cognitive impairment caused by different mechanisms causing ischaemia or haemorrhage secondary to cerebrovascular disease

22
Q

what are some risk factors for vascular dementia ?

A

history of stroke or TIA
AF
DM
hyperlipidaemia
smoking
obesity
coronary heart disease

23
Q

what are some symptoms of vascular dementia ?

A

focal neurological abnormalities - visual disturbance
difficulty with attention and concentration
memory disturbance
gait disturbance
speech disturbance
emotional disturbance

24
Q

how is a diagnosis of vascular dementia made ?

A

comprehensive history and physical examination
formal screen for cognitive impairment
medical review
MRI scan

25
what are the guidelines that NICE recommend for diagnosing someone with vascular dementia ?
- presence of cognitive decline that interferes with daily lifestyle - cerebrovascular disease relationship between the 2
26
what is the non-pharmacological management of vascular dementia ?
tailored to the individual cognitive simulation programmes music and art therapy managing challenging behaviours
27
what is the pharmacological management of vascular dementia ?
no specific only consider AChE inhibitors or memantine for people with co-morbid dementia
28
what are some predisposing factors for delirium ?
over 65 years old background of dementia significant injury frailty or comorbidity polypharmacy
29
what are some predisposing events for delirium ?
infection -UTI metabolic - hypercalcaemia, hypoglycaemia, dehydration change of environment severe pain alcohol withdrawal constipation
30
what are some features of delirium ?
memory disturbance agitated disorientation mood change visual hallucinations disturbed sleep cycle poor attention
31
what is the management of delirium ?
treat underlying cause modify environment first line sedative - haloperidol 0.5mg
32
in what condition are anti-psychotics challenging in ?
parkinson's disease
33
what drugs can cause delirium ?
anti-depressants anti-psychotics benzodiazepines anti-parkinsonian drugs anticholinergic drugs opiates diuretics recreational drug intoxication and withdrawal
34
what are some causes of delirium ?
trauma hypoxia increasing age/frailty NOF fracture smoker drugs change in environment lack of sleep imbalance of electrolytes urinary retention infection uncontrolled pain medical conditions - dementia, parkinsons disease
35