Disorders Of Aging

Question 1

Delerium

Answer 1

Acute; usually reversible. Extremely common in hospitalized. Major characteristics: changes in consciousness. Perceptual disturbances. Dramatic mood swings. Risk for self-harm.

Question 2

Causes of delirium

Answer 2

Intoxication or withdrawal.
Metabolic disorders.
Medications
Infections

Question 3

Dementia

Answer 3

Gradual onset; usually permanent. Not a normal part of growing older. De- without mentia- mind

Question 4

Causes of dementia

Answer 4

Alzheimer's disease
Vascular dementia
Dementia with Lewy bodies
Mixed dementia
Parkinson's disease dementia
Frontotemporal dementia
Creutzfeldt-Jakob dementia
Normal pressure hydrocephalus 
Huntington's disease
Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome 
Brain trauma

Question 5

Alzheimer’s disease

Answer 5

A primary cognitive impairment disorder characterized by progressive deterioration of cognitive functioning, with the end result that the person may not recognize once familiar people, places and things. The ability to walk and talk is absent in the final stages.

Question 6

Risk factors for Alzheimer’s

Answer 6

Age
Family history (10-30% increase)
Inheritance of E4/E4 alleles ApoE
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI)
Atherosclerosis risk factors
Head injury (concussion)
Decreased social, mental, & physical activity
History of depression
Hormone replacement therapy

Question 7

Alzheimer’s Disease Stage 1: Mild

Answer 7

Decreased initiative, interests, energy
Slight memory loss (short-term)
Depression common.
Faulty judgment

Question 8

Alzheimer’s Disease Stage 2: Moderate

Answer 8

Memory loss interferes with functioning
Decrease in “instrument” ADLs
Mood disturbances
Require extensive care/supervision

Question 9

Alzheimer’s Disease Stage 3: moderate to severe

Answer 9

Wandering
Loss of ADLs
Increasing loss of language skills
Depression resolves
Skilled care facility often necessary

Question 10

Alzheimer’s Disease Stage 4: late

Answer 10

Family and self recognition lost
Mute; may scream
Nonambulatory
Forgets how to eat
Seizures

Question 11

Aricept (donepezil)

Answer 11

FDA indications: mild to severe AD
S/E: Nausea, diarrhea, insomnia, fatigue
*best one to give. S/E not as severe. Once a day. Generic.

Question 12

Razadyne (galantamine)

Answer 12

Indications: mild to moderate AD

S/E: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea

Question 13

Exelon (rivastigmine)

Answer 13

Indications: mild to moderate AD, Dementia of PD
S/E: nausea, vomiting, weight loss, syncope
*second worst S/E

Question 14

Exelon transdermal

Answer 14

Indications: mild to moderate AD

S/E: nausea, dizziness, and drowsiness

Question 15

Cognex (tacrine)

Answer 15

Indications: mild to moderate AD
S/E: liver damage!!!
don’t give anymore

Question 16

Namenda (memantine)

Answer 16

NMDA receptor antagonist
Moderate to severe AD
Common S/E: dizziness, sedation, transient confusion

Question 17

Antipsychotics for AD

Answer 17

Agitation, aggression, delusions, hallucinations frequently occur in AD.
Both classes of antipsychotics now carry a black-box warning: increased risk of death in elderly patients
May still be prescribed

Question 18

Agnosia

Answer 18

Loss of the ability to recognize familiar objects.

Question 19

Agraphia

Answer 19

Loss of a previous ability to write, resulting from brain injury or brain disease.

Question 20

Aphasia

Answer 20

Difficulty in the formulation of words; loss of language ability. In extreme cases, a person may be limited to a few words, may babble, or may become mute.

Question 21

Apraxia

Answer 21

Loss of the ability to perform purposeful movements. For example the person may be unable to shave, dress or to perform other once familiar and purposeful tasks.

Question 22

Cognitive disorders

Answer 22

Psychiatric disorders that are manifested in deficits in memory, perception, and problem solving.

Question 23

Confabulation

Answer 23

The filling of a memory gap with a detailed fantasy believed by the teller. The purpose is to maintain self-esteem. It is seen in organic conditions such as Korsakoff’s psychosis.

Question 24

Hypermetamorphosis

Answer 24

The desire to touch everything in sight

Question 25

Hyperorality

Answer 25

The desire to taste everything, chew everything, and to put everything in one’s mouth.

Question 26

Hypervigilance

Answer 26

A state of extraordinary alertness

Question 27

Perseveration

Answer 27

The involuntary repetition of the same thought, phrase, or motor response. It is associated with brain damage.

Question 28

Primary dementia

Answer 28

Dementia that is irreversible, progressive, and not secondary to any other disorder

Question 29

Pseudodementia

Answer 29

A disorder that mimics dementia

Question 30

Secondary dementia

Answer 30

Dementia that is due to an underlying disease process, such as metabolic, nutritional, or neurological disorder.

Question 31

Sundowning

Answer 31

Increasing destabilization of cognitive abilities and lability of mood during the late afternoon, early evening, or night. Seen in people with cognitive disorders.