Diagnosis of dementia

Dementia is not easily diagnosed because of many symptoms that indicate a similar disease. In addition to asking questions about the patient's and family's medical and health history, a physical examination and a series of follow-up tests are carried out, including:

• Cognitive and neuropsychological tests. Check the ability to think, remember, focus, judge, concentrate, arrange language.
• Neurological examination. Check motor skills, balance, taste, and reflexes.
• Scanning. Check the condition of the muscles, tissues, and nerve flow of the brain using CT scans, MRIs, EEGs, and PET scans.
• Blood test. Look for abnormalities that can affect brain function, such as vitamin B12 deficiency or decreased thyroid gland function.
• Cerebrospinal fluid examination. To detect whether there is an infection or inflammation of the nervous system.
• Psychiatric test. Check whether the patient has depression or other mental conditions that can affect brain health.

In the case of diagnosed progressive dementia, the doctor will refer to the 5-step theory of disease development to determine the severity of dementia. The five steps include:

• Step 1: The ability of the patient's brain function is still in the normal stage.
• Step 2: The patient begins to experience a decline in brain function, but is able to live independently
• Step 3: Patients begin to experience a little difficulty doing daily activities, but always with a mild intensity.
• Step 4: Victims begin to need help from others to carry out their daily activities.
• Step 5: The patient's brain function capacity decreases significantly and cannot live independently.

Share this post