Human Growth and Development / Unit 15 HGD 2142 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
Types of Dementia
The idea
Several conditions cause dementia. Alzheimer's disease causes fifty to seventy percent of cases. Vascular dementia, the second most common, results from blocked blood flow, usually from stroke, damaging brain tissue. Lewy body dementia, the third most common, involves protein deposits in the cortex and brings fluctuating attention, visual hallucinations and movement symptoms. Mixed forms, combining causes, also occur.
In practice
Three patients: one whose decline began with memory, one whose decline came in steps after small strokes, and one who sees people who are not there.
Where people slip
The misconception is that dementia and Alzheimer's are the same thing; Alzheimer's is the most common of several dementias. Exam items describe a pattern and ask for the type: memory first points to Alzheimer's, stepwise decline to vascular dementia, and hallucinations with movement symptoms to Lewy body dementia.
Your place on the trail
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