OLD AGE PSYCHIATRY Flashcards
do elderly people have a higher or lower sensitivity to benzodiazepines?
Higher sensitivity
How do the following components of pharmacodynamics change in the elderly? Absorption Distribution Metabolism Excretion
Absorption- slower, delayed/slower onset of action Distribution- increased volume, longer duration of action, increased ‘free’ drugs Metabolism – (hepatic metabolism lipid soluble drugs) reduced liver volume no significant effect metabolic capacity Excretion – reduced renal clearance, slow excretion
Give 3 functions of the limbic system?
Learning and memory
Emotions
Cognition
What is the blood confusion screen(9)?
FBC, U+E(Na), LFT, Ca, TFT, gluc, B12, Folate, CRP.
Compare the findings in delirium vs dementia for the following components
- Onset
- Course
- Duration
- Awareness
- Alertness
- Orientation
- Working memory
- Thinking
- Perception
- Speech
- Sleep-wake cycle
- Acute vs Insidious
- Fluctuating vs Stable
- Hours to weeks vs Months to years
- Reduced vs Clear
- Low or high vs normal
- Impaired time/place/ person vs Impaired later stages
- Impaired vs Normal (early stages)
- Disorganised,delusional vs impoverished
- Illusions and hallucinations (visual) vs Absent early stages
- Incoherent, hesitant , slow/ rapid vs Word finding difficulties
- disrupted vs normal
What is the definition of dementia?
Dementia is a syndrome due to disease of the
brain, usually of a chronic or progressive nature,
in which there is disturbance of multiple higher
cortical functions, including memory, thinking,
orientation, comprehension, calculation, learning
capacity, language and judgement.
Name 4 key diagnostic indicators of peudodementia opposed to dementia?
- Decrease in effort ‘don’t know’
- Rapid progression of symptoms after onset
- Behaviour incongruent with severity of cognitive impairment
- Marked variability on performance of tasks of similar difficulty
Which is more common in men vs women?
- Alzheimers
- Vascular dementia
- AD- Women
- VD- Men
Does Alzheimers come on slowly or quickly?
Slowly
In Alzheimers there is usually a change in what 3 things prior to cognitive decline?
Impairment of cognitive function is accompanied by and occasionally preceded by deterioration in emotional
control, social behaviour or motivation.
What are the two drug classes in Alzheimers management? Give 1 example for each.
Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors- Donepezil, Galantamine
NMDA anatagonist- Memantine
What are the 3 requirements for diagnosing dementia?
- History
- Evidence of cognitive decline
- Imaging evidence
What are the 3 paths that vascular dementia can follow?
- Acute onset: Dementia follows stroke
- Multi-infarct dementia: Stepwise deterioration following numberof TIA episodes
- Subcortical dementia: association with Hypertension and deep white matter ischaemia. Clinically appears like Alz picture.
What typical changes are seen on CT with frontotemporal dementias?
Knife blade changes
Does frontotemporal disease tend to affect memory or behaviour more?
Behaviour