People with severe dementia can no longer:
- Understand language
- Recognize family members
- Perform basic activities of daily living, such as eating, dressing, and bathing
Other symptoms that may occur with dementia:
-
Incontinence - Swallowing problems
Signs and tests
Dementia can often be diagnosed with a history and physical exam by a skilled doctor or nurse. A health care provider will take a history, do a physical exam (including a neurological exam), and perform some tests of mental function called a mental status examination.
The health care provider may order tests to help determine whether other problems could be causing dementia or making it worse. These conditions include:
-
Thyroid disease - Vitamin deficiency
-
Brain tumor - Intoxication from medications
- Chronic infection
-
Anemia - Severe depression
The following tests and procedures may be done:
-
B12 level - Blood
ammonia levels - Blood chemistry (
chem-20 ) -
Blood gas analysis -
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis - Drug or alcohol levels (
toxicology screen ) - Tests for exposure to metals such as lead or arsenic
-
Electroencephalograph (EEG) -
Glucose test -
Head CT -
Liver function tests - Mental status test
-
MRI of head -
Serum calcium -
Serum electrolytes -
Thyroid function tests -
Thyroid stimulating hormone level -
Urinalysis
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