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78 Year Old, Problems With Memory. Normal CT Scan Report For Dementia. Treatment?
since last 7 years slowly my father who is 78 years old slowly started forgetting to remember. sometime he calles his wife as sister or mother or aunt but some time he recognize as wife. he remember his date of birth and all. we tested for Dimentia and he was fine with report. CT scan report is fine also. I went to meet him but he didnt recognize me. When I talk to him over tel. he talks fine. He can talk properly but goes out of topic and will talk anything. I dont understand what it is?
Fri, 18 Oct 2013
Hi,
Thank you for posting your query.
Based on the symptoms, your father has dementia, and the most likely cause of his dementia is Alzheimer's disease (AD). You should note that there is no test or scan that can diagnose dementia or AD, and the CT scsn may be normal in cases of dementia.
The diagnosis of dementia is a clinical one, and can be confirmed by detailed neuropsychological testing, which can be done by a neurologist or psychologist.
Regarding scans, functional MRI or PET scan of the brain may be able to diagnose the problems of dementia, as the problem in dementia is a functional abnormality of the brain and the brain structure may be normal.
He should also undergo tests for vitamin B12 deficiency and thyroid problems, as that could also cause dementia.
AD can also be treated with medications.
I hope it helps.
Best wishes,
Dr Sudhir Kumar MD DM (Neurology)
Senior Consultant Neurologist
Thank you for posting your query.
Based on the symptoms, your father has dementia, and the most likely cause of his dementia is Alzheimer's disease (AD). You should note that there is no test or scan that can diagnose dementia or AD, and the CT scsn may be normal in cases of dementia.
The diagnosis of dementia is a clinical one, and can be confirmed by detailed neuropsychological testing, which can be done by a neurologist or psychologist.
Regarding scans, functional MRI or PET scan of the brain may be able to diagnose the problems of dementia, as the problem in dementia is a functional abnormality of the brain and the brain structure may be normal.
He should also undergo tests for vitamin B12 deficiency and thyroid problems, as that could also cause dementia.
AD can also be treated with medications.
I hope it helps.
Best wishes,
Dr Sudhir Kumar MD DM (Neurology)
Senior Consultant Neurologist
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