Dementias Flashcards
What is dementia
syndrome of acquired global impairment of intellectual function which is usually progressive and occurs in a setting of clear consciousness
What are common causes of dementia
Alzheimers disease
Cerebrovascular disease
Lewy body dementia
What are some rarer causes of dementia
Huntingtons
CJD - Creutzfeldt Jakob disease
Picks disease- atrophy of frontal and temporal lobe
HIV
can occur in Parkinsons disease as well
What is frontotemporal lobar degeneration
3rd most common type of cortical dementia after Alzheimers and Lewy body dementia
What are the three types of Frontotemporal lobar degeneration
Frontotemporal dementia
Progressive non-fluent aphasia
Semantic dementia
What features are characteristic of Alzheimers
extracellular accumulation of senile plaques composed of amyloid peptides
Amyloid deposition leads to cerebrovascular effects
Atrophy starts in hippocampus
Tau and amyloid pathology can be imaged via a PET scan
What features are characteristic of vascular dementia
stepwise decline
caused by vascular dysfunction
What features are characteristic of lewy body dementia
deposits of alpha-synuclein ( lewy body )
What features are characteristic of frontotemporal dementia
starts at younger age 40-65
nerve cells in frontotemporal region are lost
What may someone with early stage dementia present with
gradual onset
forgetfulness
losing track of time
becoming lost in familiar places
What may someone with middle stage dementia present with
forgetful of recent events and names
confused while at home
increasing difficulty with communication
behaviour changes
What may someone with late stage dementia present with
unaware of time and place
difficulty recognising relatives and friends
need for assisted self care
difficulty walking
What are some general symptoms of dementia
decline across multiple cognitive domains
memory loss
cognitive functions affected
– language, comprehension, judgement and planning
non-cognitive effects
- personality , mood, emotional and behavioural changes
agnosia , anosognosia, apraxia, apathy
What are some specific symptoms to vascular dementia
stepwise deterioration
history of cardiovascular disease
What are some specific symptoms to lewy body dementia
parkinsonism and visual hallucinations
