Dementia

    Cards (4)

    • Dementia
      Chronic deterioration of memory, personality, language skills, perception, reasoning or judgment - with no LOC
      • Changes may happen over weeks or years & can be subtle
    • Wernicke encephalopathy presents with dementia
      • Caused by vitamin B deficiency - occurs in pt who are chronically malnourished (ex. chronic alcoholism)
      • Presentation: Atacia, confusion, agitation, nystagmus, generalized weakness, foot drop, peripheral neuropathy
    • Alzheimer disease
      Most common form of dementia
      • Progressive, organic condition in which neurons die
      • Cause: gradual buildup of plaques within brain, eventual dec. in brain mass - process begins 10-20 yrs before signs apprear
      • Presentation: memory loss
      • Moderate: dec. in attention, judgement, language function
      • Severe: cannot recognize ppl or communicate
    • Management
      • Check BGL, O2
      • Be compassionate
      • If pt is suspected to be malnourished - thiamine 100-200mg IVP before glucose is given
      • If pt is Vitamin B deficient & glucose is given, condition may worsen
      • Monitor ECG
      • Pt may have hypokalemia, hypomagnesemia, & hyponatremia
    See similar decks