Dementia + Alzheimer's Disease Flashcards
Outline the 4 types of dementia
- Alzheimer’s Disease
- Vascular dementia
- Lewy Body dementia
- Frontotemporal dementia
Alzheimer’s
Aetiology?
- genetic / environmental factors
- inevitable in people with Down’s Syndrome
Alzheimer’s
Epidemiology?
most common dementia
Alzheimer’s
Pathophysiology?
Neurodegenerative disease marked by cortical atrophy, neurofibrillary tangles and senile (beta amyloid) plaques
Alzheimer’s
clinical features?
Memory loss is first sign
As disease progresses:
- more memory loss
- confusion / apathy / anxiety
- difficulty handling money
Moderate cortical atrophy:
- difficulty recognising people / with language
- wandering & disorientation
Late stages:
seizures / incontinence
Alzheimer’s
Mx?
- Acetylcholinesterase inhibitor
- Mementine (N-Methyl D Aspartate Antagonist) in severe disease / above not effective or not well tolerated
- symptomatic rx: anxiolytics/ antidepressants/ antipsychotics
Vascular Dementia
- pathology
- PC
- Mx
Pathology: multiple infarcts
PC: sudden onset, stepwise progression, vascular risk factors
Mx:
- symptomatic treatment of dementia
- prevention of further ischaemic events
Lewy Body Dementia
- Pathology
- cerebral atrophy
- Lewy bodies in occipito-parietal cortex
Lewy Body Dementia PC?
visual hallucinations, delusions, fluctuating consciousness, parkinsonism
Lewy Body Dementia:
- Ix
- Mx
Ix: SPECT scan
Mx: Acetylcholinesterase inhibitor
what must you avoid in Lewy Body Dementia ?
neuroleptics!!! ie antipsychotics
Frontotemporal dementia aka Pick’s Disease
- Pathology
- PC
Pathology: Pick bodies
PC: disinhibition, personality change, progressive aphasia
aetiology & age of onset of Frontotemporal dementia
- aetiology - autosomal dominant
- age of onset usually 40-60years
