Part 25 Flashcards
(170 cards)
Wernicke’s aphasia
Classically localized to lesions affecting the posterior superior temporal gyrus, markedly impaired comprehension where speech is voluminous but meaningless often described as a word salad, usually speech retains normal cadence and intonation and patient apepars completely unaware of deficit
Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome
Associated with alcoholism, but can occur in other situations such as malnutrition or dialysis, classic triad is hoemorrhagic necrosis in midline brain structure producing deficits in mentaiton (encephalopathy), oculomotor function, and gait ataxia, administer thiamine as soon as expected as untreated results in death
Anterograde amnesia
The impaired ability to formulate new memories
Retrograde amnesia
Loss of all memories prior to an event
Delirium
Acute change (hours to days) where a patient has fluctuating levels of consciousness easily confused with psychiatric disorders most often due to primary underlying causes such as a medical condition, medication or drug withdrawal
Delirium diagnosis (4)
- NOT mini mental status exam
- confusion survey
- electrolytes, creatinine, tox screen, drug levels, etc (rule out)
- neuroimaging
Most common medical etiologies of delirium (6)
- infection
- fluid and electrolyte disturbance
- withdrawal
- toxicity
- metabolic disturbances
- post op states
Sundowning
Distinguished condition from delirium, frequently seen poorly understood phenomenon with frequent recurrence*** characterized by change in mental status and behavior often becoming more agitated as the day ends
Dementia vs delirium
Insidious vs acute, stable and progressive vs fluctuating, sensorium intact till late vs impaired, poor short term memory vs globally impaired
When I say amyloid plaques and neurofibrilary tangles you say…
….alzheimer’s disease
Pick’s disease/frontotemporal dementia
dementia is initially manifested by changes in personality and social behavior or language progressing over time to a more global dementia, progresses more rapidly than alzheimer’s
Dementia with lewy bodies
form of dementia is characterized by the presence of abnormal aggregates of protein that develop inside nerve cells. These are identified under the microscope when histology is performed on the brain, distinctive clinical features including visual hallucinations, parkinsonism, cognitive fluctuations, and dysautonomia, differentiated from parkinson disease because cognitive decline is manifested much earlier than motor symptoms
Vascular dementia
Result of brain ischemia, no understood risk factors and not fully understood, no uniform diagnostic criteria, also referred to as post stroke dementia as clinical features are consistent with vascular etiology
Parkinson disease dementia
Characterized by executive function (early findings include brady and akinesia, rigidity, etc) and sees memory loss as a later finding, most with parkinson disease will go on to develop this
Sarcopenia
Decline in lean body mass often associated with age and a corresponding increase in total body fat that occurs in up to 50% of the elderly
Leading causes of involuntary weight loss in the elderly (3)
- depression
- cancer
- benign GI disease such as dysphagia
Cachexia
Inflammatory metabolic disorder with excess muscle loss and prostoglandin production throughout the body due to underlying condition, relatively rapid and giving characteristic emaciated appearance
Oral/dental health problems that affect the elderly (3)
- dental caries
- periodontal disease
- xerostomia
Vit A nutrition deficiencies side effects in elderly (3)
- dry skin
- bitots spots
- xeropthalmia
Vit B6 nutrition deficiencies side effects in elderly (3)
- glossitis
- peripheral neuropathy
- anemia
Elder abuse
Mistreatment for individuals generally greater than or equal to 60 years including abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation, perpetrated by those in an ONGOING relationship that involves expectation of responsibility toward a victim** (excludes abuse by strangers, has to be a caretaker of some form - doctor, taxi driver, family), can be physical (including neglect even self neglect), sexual, or psychological (majority)
Decisional capacity
The ability to communicate a choice, understand relevant info, appreciate the situation and its consequences, and reason about treatment options
Executive capacity
The ability to execute ones decisions
Self neglect
Failure of vulnerable elder to provide for own care and protection (also called failure to thrive), excludes elderly who have capacity but choose not to