Dementia

A new analysis of the large ASPREE trial found statin use in older adults is not associated in the incidence of dementia or a decline in neurocognitive health.

International Stroke Conference: Adults with dementia are more likely to be infected with COVID-19, but no more likely to die from it vs those without cognitive impairment.

It’s how much cannabis your patients with HIV infection smoke now-not over their lifetime-that appears to affect their cognition.

An association was found between headache or non-migrainous headache and later dementia. Not so for migraine.

A multi-step inflammatory cascade appears to connect hyperglycemia and brain dysfunction.

Here’s a look at what’s new and interesting on the Web for health care professionals.

Growing evidence suggests a link between obesity and dementia, but risk may be heightened or lowered, depending on age. In this study, early to mid-life obesity was linked with increased risk of later dementia.

In the news: stroke prevention, heart disease and women, migraine and depression, cholinesterase inhibitors and dementia, multivitamins and cataract risk.

Some interesting take home-points for your practice from recent studies and surveys: learn the details in this 5 question quiz.

Regular exercise; no smoking; and maintaining a low body weight, a healthy diet, and low alcohol intake may reduce the risk significantly.

The reduction in dementia is not simply the result of the drugs reducing their blood pressure.

I have read both that the male brain has no estrogen receptors and that testosterone is converted to estrogen in the brain. Where does the truth lie? And what role, if any, does estrogen play in preventing Alzheimer disease in both men and women?

The development of more sophisticated testing modalities now permits the identification of coronary artery narrowing in asymptomatic adults. The images obtained in these studies provide potential targets for intervention-based therapy.

In his "What's Your Diagnosis?" case of an 89-year-old woman with advanced Alzheimer disease who had injuries attributed to a fall in a nursing home (CONSULTANT, October 2006, page 1373), Dr Henry Schneiderman notes that "the fall was not observed" and that "many prior falls have been ascribed to her lack of safety awareness in negotiating the environment."

A 78-year-old widower with hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and hyperlipidemiais referred for a comprehensive geriatric assessment.His daughter is concerned about her father’s decline following her mother’s death a year ago.His memory seems to be deteriorating. His desk is cluttered with bills, but he refuses to lethis daughter help him or even look at his checkbook.

What is the risk of dementia in patients who have had an ischemic stroke?

An 81-year-old man presents with severe Alzheimer dementia. Hishistory includes benign prostatic hypertrophy with 2 transurethralresections. He has a remote history of tobacco use and has not used alcohol excessively. He isotherwise in good health. At the time of his original diagnosis, a cholinesterase inhibitor was notprescribed.

A 74-year-old man comes to your office because his wife and childrenhave noticed that his memory has become mildly impaired. He continuesto work part time in the family business. Recently, however, his daughter has found thathe is making significant errors with clients. For example, he has failed to show up for appointmentsthat he had scheduled, and has set up appointments with clients whom he has already served.Because of errors he has made in client billing, he has turned over the company’s bookkeepingresponsibilities to his daughter.

A 72-year-old farmer is brought by his daughter for a comprehensivegeriatric assessment. His previous history is unremarkable. The patientreports that he has had vivid visual hallucinations, which he calls "visitors." He becomes frightenedand hostile when these incidents occur; on several occasions, he has exhibited violent behavioras persons around him tried to calm him. Although the patient was able to recall each episode indetail, he felt as if he had watched it from a distance and had not been an active participant.

Elderly patients with Alzheimer diseaseor dementia frequently refuseto be examined or have a physical.

Q:Recent research has defined mild cognitiveimpairment as a transitional state between thecognitive changes of normal aging and Alzheimerdisease (AD) and other dementing illnesses. Whatcriteria are used to differentiate mild cognitiveimpairment from more innocuous syndromes, such asbenign senescent forgetfulness? Are patients with mildcognitive impairment considered to have incipientclinical AD?

A 24-year-old African American man presents for a routine eye examination. Theocular findings are unremarkable; however, well-circumscribed areas of whitenedskin are noted on his forehead and hands (A and B). The patient reportsthat the patchy loss of pigment has been progressing over a number of years.

An 84-year-old woman presents with a 3-year history of slowly progressivememory impairment accompanied by functional decline. Thepatient lives alone but has been receiving an increasing amount of support from her 2 daughters,who accompany her to the appointment. The daughters first noticed that their mother was havingtrouble driving. About a year ago, she started forgetting family recipes. She also left food cookingon the stove unattended and burned several pans. Currently, the daughters are providing mealsand transportation, assisting with housework, and doing their mother’s laundry. They have becomeincreasingly alarmed because she takes her medications only sporadically, despite the factthat they fill her pillboxes and call her regularly with reminders. Their chief concern is whether itis safe for their mother to continue to live alone.

An 84-year-old woman presents with a 3-year history of slowly progressivememory impairment accompanied by functional decline. Thepatient lives alone but has been receiving an increasing amount of support from her 2 daughters,who accompany her to the appointment. The daughters first noticed that their mother was havingtrouble driving. About a year ago, she started forgetting family recipes. She also left food cookingon the stove unattended and burned several pans. Currently, the daughters are providing mealsand transportation, assisting with housework, and doing their mother’s laundry. They have becomeincreasingly alarmed because she takes her medications only sporadically, despite the factthat they fill her pillboxes and call her regularly with reminders. Their chief concern is whether itis safe for their mother to continue to live alone.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Use it or lose it applies to the brain, according to a study of nearly 3,000 persons of Medicare-age living independently in the community.

I enjoyed Dr Henry Schneiderman’s “What’s Your Diagnosis?” case of an elderly woman with severe facial ecchymoses from a fall. Would Dr Schneiderman elaborate on several points about that case? This woman did not trip or complain of dizziness before she fell. What caused her to fall?

Is it appropriate to routinely order urinalysis for patients in a nursing home (both with and without dementia) when they exhibit behavioral changes but show no signs or symptoms of urinary tract infection (UTI)?

Delirium in older adults needs to berecognized early and managed as amedical emergency. Prompt detectionand treatment improve both shortandlong-term outcomes.1,2 Becausedelirium represents one of the nonspecificpresentations of illness in elderlypatients, the disorder can be easilyoverlooked or misdiagnosed. Misdiagnosismay occur in up to 80% of cases,but it is less likely with an interdisciplinaryapproach that includes inputfrom physicians, nurses, and familymembers.3

A 51-year-old man with a history of AIDS (CD4 count of 59 cells/µL), anemia, neutropenia, and AIDS-related dementia presented with persistent fever, abdominal pain, and diarrhea of 2 months' duration. He did not adhere to his regimen of HAART and prophylactic therapy with atovaquone and azithromycin.

An 80-year-old man with a history of congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, and thoracic and abdominal aneurysms was taken to the emergency department because of mental status changes, back pain, and ecchymotic areas over his body. The ecchymoses started on his back 5 days before admission and spread to his abdomen.