How to recognize pseudodementia

Poor memory, language difficulties, and attention problems are common indicators of dementia. But the trigger can be different.

FRANKFURT – When people with symptoms of dementia go to the doctor, in some cases the affected patients go home without being diagnosed. This may be because another disease has been overlooked: so-called pseudodementia. This refers to a series of symptoms similar to dementia, but with a completely different cause.

Pseudodementia manifests itself very similar to dementia – these are the symptoms

Unlike dementia, the cause of symptoms in pseudodementia is not due to neurological degeneration. Instead, other factors such as mental and mood illnesses are responsible, e.g Medical news today I mentioned. Pseudodementia can cause changes and difficulties in the following abilities:

• Speech and language
• memory
• Maintain interest
• Regulating emotions
• Organization and planning

The causes of pseudodementia are often psychiatric diseases

According to one He studies From last year, published by the National Library of Medicine, the most common cause of pseudodementia is mental illness. High He notices According to the Austrian Public Health Portal, about 25 percent of patients examined for memory problems suffer from mental illness, most of them depression. Possible triggers of pseudodementia include:

• depression
• anxiety
• schizophrenia
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• mania
• Conversion disorder

According to the study, the disease can appear similar to dementia. The main difference is that physical impairment of neuronal functions and irreversible deterioration of brain areas does not occur in pseudodementia.

To some extent, both conditions can be treated similarly, as dementia can only be treated through symptoms. However, in pseudodementia, treatment of the underlying mental illness leads to significant improvement and cure of the disease.

However, dementia cannot yet be cured, even if researchers have made encouraging progress in Alzheimer's disease research. However, in some cases, pseudodementia can be a precursor to dementia – and the risk factor for dementia increases after pseudodementia.

Delirium is not pseudodementia, but rather a medical emergency

However, the Austrian Public Health Portal also points out that a distinction must be made between so-called delirium and pseudodementia. Delirium is thus understood as a temporary and usually treatable acute confusion, which impairs attention and causes fluctuations in consciousness.

Delirium develops within a few hours and is considered a medical emergency. In contrast to delirium, dementia, by definition, must have been present for at least six months in order for this diagnosis to be made. The earlier it is detected, the better: Some early symptoms may indicate Alzheimer's dementia. This also includes an early warning signal during sleep. (bk)