preview

Dementia Lab Report

Decent Essays

The early onset symptoms of dementia could be missed due to various reasons. Many people consult with their regular physician who may not know too much about dementia and its symptoms. A brief office visit is another factor; this short time does not give the patient and doctor enough time to connect to understand all the symptoms, duration, and review patient history. There are many other medical conditions that mimic dementia symptoms that make a proper diagnosis of dementia difficult.

Depression symptoms can mirror symptoms of dementia into stage 4. In this stage of dementia a person loses concentration, has difficulties managing the day to day activities, and starts to withdraw socially because it becomes difficult to do …show more content…

Lab work would shed light on a thyroid issue if hypothyroidism were the cause of symptoms. The doctor would be looking at the levels of TSH hormone in the blood. If test results fell within normal range, I would press the issue further as to why you are having such serious symptoms related to cognition. Hypothyroidism is usually not cured per say but can be managed pretty well to lead a productive life where medications for dementia have limited benefits, and there will be expected decline in mental and physical abilities.

Severe malnutrition could also mimic the symptoms of dementia. You would think it would be easy for a doctor to determine if a person is malnourished. Blood work would show dehydration or lack of nutrients needed in the body. The only way to rule out malnutrition is to look at vitamin B levels specifically. What if the doctor doesn’t check this? This condition which could easily be cured could be bypassed to a more severe condition that is not …show more content…

More specifically the hippocampus. Alzheimer’s dementia is most affected by shrinkage of the hippocampus, which makes it difficult to remember and store new and current events. Lewy body dementia research shows less shrinkage of the hippocampus. This suggest why there are different symptoms associated with each dementia. Shrinkage of the brain is caused by injury or death of brain cells. The white matter of the brain is also affected. Damage to white brain matter can disconnect the certain communications throughout the brain in turn affecting speech, movement, and

Get Access