Dementia, headaches, head injury - ERIC Flashcards
what is delirium
acute change
causes confusion and short term memory loss
decreased level of alertness
resolves within one week
what is dementia
progressively worsening impairment of intellectual functioning:
language
memory
visuospatial
executive functioning
emotional behavior
what is the PINCHME mneumonic for
to help identify potential causes of delirium
what is the PINCHME mneumonic
Pain
Infection
Nutrition
Constipation
Hydration
Medication
Environment
What is MOCA
Montreal Cognitive Assessment
how many area’s are assessed during MOCA
8 areas of cognition assessed
what cognitive test do we use when there is concern for cognitive impairment or dementia
MOCA
how is Dementia worked up by lab work
CBC
CMP
THS
B12, folate, thiamine
Drug screen
Ammonia levels
Syphillis screen
?heavy metal screens
how is dementia worked up with imaging
acute mental status change - CT of the brain without contrast
Progressive - MRI w/o contrast
what is alzheimers dementia
progressive dementia caused by intracellular neurofibrillary tangles and extracellular plaques
what is the most common type of dementia
Alzheimers dementia
what are risk factors for Alzheimers dementia
Age and family history
occurs in 3-50% of people at age 80
how is Alzheimers dementia treated
Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors
NMDA receptor agonists
Aducanumab - newly FDA approve and controversial
how do Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors treat Alzheimers dementa
delays disease progression and may improve memory
Ex. Donepezil, Rivastigmine, Galantamine
how do NMDA receptor agonist treat Alzheimers dementia
regulates glutamate. too much glutamate triggers NDMA which increase dementia risk
used in conjunction with acetylcholinesterase inhibitors in mod-severe disease
ex. memantine
how are aducanumab used to treat Alzheimers dementia
newly FDA approved and very controversial
only USED ONLY IN MILD DEMENTIA with MOCA
thought to reduce amyloid plaques
what are non-medication treatments for Dementia
room-by-room safety (garage, basement, workroom, kitchen, bathroom)
Locks
Alarms
Preventing Falls
Living Partners
what is vascular dementia
second most common type of dementia
M>W
ischemia of the brain and lacunar infarcts - occurs both with and without hx of TIA/stroke
what conditions are vascular dementia associated wtih
hypertension and high cholesterol
what are the subtypes of vascular dementia
cortical vascular dementia
Subcortical vascular dementia
what is cortical vascular dementia
speech difficulty, loss of ADLs, confusion, Amnesia and poor executive function
what is subcortical vascular dementia
motor deficit, gait changes, urinary incontinence, personality changes
what does the progression of vascular dementia lead to
loss of ADLs, decreased concentration, disorientation, social withdrawal
labs on patients with vascular dementia may show
underlying hyperlipidemia
what is seen on brain CT or MRI on a patient wtih ascular dementia
small vessel infacts
what is the treatment for vascular dementia
treat underlying hyperlipidemia and hypertension (consider statins and anti-platelet)
Treat symptoms of insomnia, depression and agitation
what is Lewy Body Demenia caused by
deposits in nerve cells known as Lew bodies in the midbrain, brain stem and olfactory bulb
what does Lewy Body Dementia cause
delusions and visual hallucinations, anxiety, with or without motor symptoms
what is Histologically similar to Parkinsons diesase
Lewy Body Dementia- dementia starts before motor symptoms
what type of medications are used to treat Lewy Body dementia
Cholinesterase help with the delirium, but dopamine medications are not effective
what is the cause of frontotemporal dementia
caused by degeneration of the frontal and temporal lobes
what does frontotemporal dementia present with
euphoria, apathy, disinhibition or compulsions
MRI shows degeneration of frontal lobe on what type of dementia
frontotemporal dementia
what is the treatment for frontotemporal dementia
no curative treatment
what is pseudodementia
perceived memory loss - usually due to uncontrolled depression or anxiety
what condition presents with perceived memory loss with normal MOCA, MRI and labs?
psudodementia
how is pseudodementia treated
with SSRIs and counseling for uncontrolled depression or anxiety
how are dementia symptoms managed
Depression - SSRI or antipsychotics
Hallucinations/agitation - Zyprexia, Seroquel, Risperdal
Weight loss/lack of appetite - antipsychotics, cyproheptadine, Remeron
Acute head trauma exam includes
CSF or blood in external acoustic canal, nostril
bruising at base of skull or around the eyes
obvious head/trauma/skull depressions
Hemotympanum
priapism
pupils, Glasgow coma scale, blood glucose, tox screen, CT of brain without contrast
a patient presents with bilateral raccoon eyes what tests needs to be run
CT scan
what is priapism
erection (can happen s/p brain injury)