PHAR 454 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Mental Status Examination, Geriatric Depression Scale, Belize Dollar
5 Apr 2017
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Document Summary
Lower threshold for precipitants to cause delirium in patients with dementia: dims = precipitants. Longer course of delirium due to medical illness or medications with history of dementia. After initial presentation of delirium: cognitive impairment can last up to 1 year. Depression occurs in 20-30% in patients with dementia: risk factor vs prodrome. Depression can precede diagnosis of dementia by 5 years: underlying mechanism is unclear but some combination of: Assume mental health issues are not a consequence of normal aging. Diagnosis is based on comprehensive clinical assessment and longitudinal follow-up (key: the diagnosis and therapeutics change over time, need to continually reassess treatment. Pharmacotherapy: used along with non-pharmacological therapies, requires patient/caregiver education and monitoring, elderly patients experience more side effects (prevent if possible) Dementia (2 broad subtypes: neurodegeneration (slow onset overtime) In late-onset depression usually a result of multi-morbidity. Drugs, infection, metabolic derangements, structural (stroke, seizure, constipation)
