A widow, aged 72 years, lives alone and is visited weekly by her son. She takes digoxin, hydrochlorothiazide, and an antihypertensive drug. She also has a prescription for diazepam (Valium) as needed for moderate to severe anxiety
When the son visited today, he found his mother confused. Her speech was thick and slurred and she had an unsteady gait. She was taken to the emergency department, and hospital admission followed. The nurse assessed the patient as having several cognitive problems, including memory and attention deficits and fluctuating levels of orientation. The nurse confirms that the patient's symptoms developed over a 2-day period. The patient's symptoms are most characteristic of: a. delirium.
b. dementia.
c. amnestic syndrome.
d. Alzheimer's disease.
A
Delirium is characterized by an abrupt onset of fluctuating levels of awareness, clouded and/or fluctuating consciousness, perceptual disturbances, and disturbed memory and orientation. The onset of dementia or Alzheimer's disease, a type of dementia, is more insidious. Amnestic syndrome involves memory impairment without other cognitive problems.
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