Losing Your Memory: Normal Ageing or Dementia?

Losing your memory?

Memory loss is a common, significant symptom in patients with dementia. Other symptoms include language difficulty, impaired thinking and judgment, inability to plan and complete complex tasks, changes in personality, inappropriate behaviour, agitation and paranoia. Observations from immediate family members are very helpful in establishing an early and rapid diagnosis.

Careful, thorough examination may alert the physician to other common conditions such as anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, stroke and เว็บพนันออนไลน์ UFABET สมัครง่าย โปรโมชั่นมากมาย Parkinson’s disease. Nutritional deficiencies, hormonal imbalances and reactions to medication may also result in an impairment in cognitive function. Blood tests are therefore useful in the evaluation of these conditions.

Getting the right diagnosis

Brain scans are often performed to ensure that there is no damage in the brain. For instance, the presence of a bleeding between the surface of the brain and the covering over the brain may cause symptoms similar to dementia. Enlarged ventricles in the brain may also cause memory loss, in addition to walking difficulty and poor urinary control.

Needless to say, it is important to establish the correct diagnosis, as the course of treatment and predicted outcomes are vastly different for each condition.

Who benefitted from promptly seeking the right diagnosis. In his late 60s,

Mr S continues to live an active life as a professional. Who works hard and enjoys social activities such as jogging, fishing and travelling. In recent weeks, he felt his response slowing down rapidly and his memory becoming much poorer. He could not remember where he left his reading glasses and mobile phone. He lost his house keys twice. His voice became softer and he had trouble using his right hand, particularly to write and sign documents.

Fearing that he was losing his brain functions and, at the same time, unsure if his symptoms were part of normal ageing, Mr S came to my clinic for an assessment. A large blood clot showed up in his brain scans. He underwent neurosurgery to remove the clot. Regaining his consciousness after general anaesthesia, he immediately felt that a fog had been lifted in his brain. Within a week, he was back at work, happy to have a second lease of life, and even happier that he did not suffer from dementia.