Nutritional/metabolic disorders Flashcards
Manifestations of combined system disease
subacute myelopathy, dementia, posterior spinal column dysfx, peripheral neuropathy
Electrolyte imbalance
Condition of disturbed electrolytes (e.g., sodium, potassium) commonly produced by extreme dietary insufficiency or dehydration, GI abnormalities May give rise to an acute confusional state
Clinical manifestations of B12 deficiency
50% have cognitive difficulties Primary symptoms of lethargy, fatigue, weakness, leucopenia & thrombocytopenia
Mild deficiencies in thiamine lead to
Perceptual-motor difficulties, visuospatial problems, decreased abstraction/problem solving, learning & memory deficits
Folic acid/folate deficiency
Sensory & reflex abnormalities, depressed mood, impaired memory, abstract reasoning, construction, increased stroke risk Implicated in progressive condition of mental deterioration with concomitant cerebral atrophy
Symptoms of vitamin A deficiency
Night blindness, hyperkeratosis, skin changes
Symptoms of vitamin E deficiency
Neuropathy, hemolytic anemia
What nutritional deficiencies are the elderly particularly vulnerable to?
B12, B6, folate
BUN
Blood urea nitrogen; increased levels are sometimes assoc. w/ dehydration, renal insufficiency, & acute confusional states
Lesions commonly involved in Wernicke-Korsakoff
Midbrain, cerebellum, mammillary bodies, dorsomedial nucleus of the thalamus
Pellagra
Dementia, dermatitis, & diarrhea; due to niacin deficiency; initial confusion, impaired memory, apathy, & irritability
Combined system disease
Disorder associated with either pernicious anemia or with vitamin B12 deficiency w/o anemia
Wernicke-Korsakoff
Normal IQ, anterograde & retrograde amnesia, amotivation, visual-perceptual & executive task difficulties, vulnerability to proactive interference
