Dementia-like symptoms have been found in some individuals who have been exposed to glucocorticoid medication, often dispensed in the form of asthma, arthritis, and anti-inflammatory steroid medications. The condition reverses, but not always completely, within months after steroid treatment is stopped.
Researchers from Leiden University Medical Center have found that prescribed steroids cause structural and volume changes in the white and gray matter of the brain. Scientists believe these findings may help explain some of the psychiatric side effects of prescribed steroids, though more research is needed.
Neuropsychiatric adverse effects during systemic corticosteroid therapy occur frequently. Cognitive deficits, particularly declarative and verbal memory deficits, have been documented during both long- and short-term glucocorticoid therapy.
Examples: Acetazolamide (Diamox), carbamazepine (Tegretol), gabapentin (Neurontin), lamotrigine (Lamictal), levetiracetam (Keppra), oxcarbazepine (Trileptal), pregabalin (Lyrica), rufinamide (Banzel), topiramate (Topamax), valproic acid (Depakote) and zonisamide (Zonegran).
Administration: The examiner reads a list of 5 words at a rate of one per second, giving the following instructions: “This is a memory test. I am going to read a list of words that you will have to remember now and later on. Listen carefully. When I am through, tell me as many words as you can remember.
Age. The biggest risk factor for dementia is ageing. This means as a person gets older, their risk of developing dementia increases a lot. For people aged between 65 and 69, around 2 in every 100 people have dementia.
Several large studies and reviews found that alcohol use disorders were linked to an increased risk of dementia, particularly early-onset dementia. Cardiovascular risk factors. These include high blood pressure (hypertension), high cholesterol, buildup of fats in your artery walls (atherosclerosis) and obesity.
Physical activity. Doing regular physical activity is one of the best ways to reduce your risk of dementia. It's good for your heart, circulation, weight and mental wellbeing. You might find it difficult to start being more physically active, or worry it means doing an activity you don't enjoy.
Some examples include: Cartilage damage: Because there are repetitive injections into one area, the cartilage of the bone can become weak, causing it to break easier or become more inflamed than before. Joint infection: Similar to cartilage damage, the more injections into one area, the weaker the area can get.
Within days of beginning the glucocorticoid treatment, however, the patient began to show symptoms that included major depression, irritability, muscle weakness, and hallucinations ("stars" or "spots").
Q: What are the possible side effects of cortisone shots? A: While cartilage damage, bone death, joint infection and nerve damage are possible, if the shot is done by an experienced doctor, those complications are exceedingly rare.
What Is the Difference Between Steroid and Cortisone Injections? Many people are curious about what differentiates a steroid injection from a cortisone shot. When discussing steroid and cortisone injections for orthopedic related conditions, the two terms are referring to the same injection product.
Common forms of dementia
Dementia is caused by many different diseases or injuries that directly and indirectly damage the brain. Alzheimer disease is the most common form and may contribute to 60–70% of cases.
Many people affected by dementia are concerned that they may inherit or pass on dementia. The majority of dementia is not inherited by children and grandchildren. In rarer types of dementia there may be a strong genetic link, but these are only a tiny proportion of overall cases of dementia.
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease causes a type of dementia that gets worse unusually fast. More common causes of dementia, such as Alzheimer's, dementia with Lewy bodies and frontotemporal dementia, typically progress more slowly.
The Mini-Cog test.
A third test, known as the Mini-Cog, takes 2 to 4 minutes to administer and involves asking patients to recall three words after drawing a picture of a clock. If a patient shows no difficulties recalling the words, it is inferred that he or she does not have dementia.
If you take a statin and do experience symptoms, such as brain fog, confusion, or difficulty concentrating, it might be helpful to talk with your doctor about whether you should lower the dose or switch to a different type of statin, she says.
It can be caused by a number of factors, including a nutritional deficiency, sleep deprivation, depression, side effects of some medications, or dementia. If you are suffering from short-term memory loss, it is important to speak to your doctor in order to get an accurate diagnosis.