Symptoms & Signs
Dementia that occurs with metabolic disorders may cause confusion and changes in intellect or reasoning. These changes may be temporary or permanent.
- Decrease in:
- Feeling (sensation)
- Hearing
- Movement
- Speech
- Vision
- Difficulty making sense of person, place, or time
- Language difficulties
- Loss of bladder control
- Personality changes
- Slowly worsening loss of:
- Intellectual function
- Judgment
- Memory
Note: The person may also have symptoms from the disorder that caused dementia.
Diagnosis & Tests
An examination of the nervous system (neurologic examination) can show different problems, depending on the cause. Abnormal reflexes may be present.
Tests may include:
- Ammonia level in the blood
- Blood chemistry, electrolytes
- Blood glucose level, glucose tolerance tests
- BUN, creatinine
- Electroencephalograph (EEG)
- Head CT scan
- Head MRI scan
- Liver function tests
- Lumbar puncture (spinal tap)
- Mental status test
- Nutritional assessment
- Thyroid function tests
- Urinalysis
- Vitamin B12 level
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Dementia due to metabolic causes : Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors
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Dementia due to metabolic causes : Symptoms & Signs, Diagnosis & Tests
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Dementia due to metabolic causes : Treatment
Review Date : 2/13/2008
Reviewed By : Luc Jasmin, MD, PhD, Departments of Anatomy & Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
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conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only — they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. © 1997- 2010 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or
distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.