exam 3 dementia

Dementia

general term for a group of symptoms caused by serious disorders of the brain

There are over______ types of dementia

250

Diagnosis is clinical

laboratory and imaging tests are usually used to identify treatable causes

what is the most common caused of dementia 

Alzheimer’s

Cortical dementia

typically associated with the brain's gray matter

problems with memory

• the inability to find the right words and  understand what others are saying (receptive aphasia)

how do you identify Alzheimer’s

•Can only be officially diagnosed via autopsy

Subcortical Dementia

to initially affect structures below the cortex and are more associated with the brain's white matter

•Huntington's disease 

•Parkinson's dementia

•AIDS dementia complex

changes in personality/ thought process

what is the cause of dementia?

as a result of other disease processes

• metabolic

• structural

• infectious diseases

Metabolic dementia

occurs due to a change in body’s metabolism or chemical processes

ex:

•Diabetes (repeat episodes of hypoglycemia)

•Thyroid disorders (hypothyroidism/hyperthyroidism)

•Kidney failure

•Liver cirrhosis (alcohol/drug abuse/heavy metal exposure)

•Rapid changes in sodium level

Structural dementia

caused by conditions associated with different structural lesions of the brain

ex:

•Alzheimer’s

•Multi infarct

•Brain injury

•Parkinson’s disease

•ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis)

Infectious dementia

occur as the result of an infection

ex:

•Neurosyphilis Dementia

•Tuberculous and fungal meningitis

•Viral encephalitis

•HIV

•Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease

Dementia has been described as a ________

global epidemic

Population aging is main driver of increase in ______

dementia 

The incidence of dementia ______ with every 5.9-year increase in age

doubles

Prevalance of demeita is________ for those without a high school diploma

3x’s greater

Cognitive reserve

the level of knowledge and education banked in early years protects and helps compensate for a decline in cognitive health later in life

Social isolation was associated with about a______increased risk of dementia

50% percent

Early Stage (Typical Course)

Recent memory is impaired

•learning and retaining new information becomes difficult

•Language problems (especially with word finding)

•mood swings

personality changes develop

Agnosia

Impaired ability to identify objects despite intact sensory function

Apraxia

Impaired ability to do previously learned motor activities despite intact motor function

Aphasia

Impaired ability to comprehend or use language

Intermediate stage (Typical Course)

unable to learn and recall new information

memory of remote events is reduced but not totally lost

• cant remember things from a long time a long time ago

• gets very agitated

• wanders around (thinks they are going somewhere but no destination)

clients often gets phyiscally lost 

Late Stage (typical course)

clients cannot walk, feed themselves, or do any other activities of daily living

• Recent and remote memory is completely lost

End-stage dementia results in coma and death, usually due to infection

Cognitive and neuropsychological tests

measure thinking skills, memory, orientation, reasoning, judgement, language skills, and attention

Neurological evaluation:

Doctors evaluate memory, language, visual perception, attention, problem-solving, movement, senses, balance, reflexes and other areas

Alzheimer’s disease maybe viewed as normal aging among___________ and ___________

Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino culture