A 50-year-old woman presents at the clinic with complaints of recent episodes of forgetfulness and "jerky" head movements

Question

She states her mother had some kind of illness in which she had to be institutionalized at age 42 and passed away at age 45. She stated, "My mother forgot who we were when she was institutionalized." Based on this information, what does the nurse suspect?
A) Huntington disease
B) Schizophrenia
C) Cerebrovascular accident
D) Alzheimer's disease

Answer 1

Ans: D
Feedback:
Nurses must be alert for family histories indicating that multiple generations (autosomal dominant inheritance) or multiple siblings (autosomal recessive inheritance) are affected with the same condition or that onset of disease is earlier than expected (multiple generations with early onset). When a family history of disease is identified, the nurse must be responsible for making the patient aware that this family history is a risk factor for disease. Huntington disease is noted with mental deterioration, but the patient presents with jerky movements of the head and limbs. Cerebrovascular accident can occur in a woman her age, but there is no evidence of signs or symptoms of this condition in the patient scenario. Schizophrenia is highly unlikely.