sudden onset of dementia?

Question

my dad is sick in hospital, and at present they r looking as to whether it is a kidney infection, he is 84 had aheart attack 2 yrs ago, but the most worrying thing is his sudden loss of mental capacity, before he was getting a bit muddled now and then but over the course of the last week there has been a dramatic decline and his head is all over the place, i dont think he can even be safely left he can hardly string a sane sentance together, is it possible that dementia of this type can be sudden or can possible dementia be exagerated by an infection

Answer 1

A UTI will often present as sudden onset dementia - once he's put on a simple antibiotic, you may see a dramatic improvement.

Good luck, I hope he improves.

Answer 2

Sudden Onset Dementia

Answer 3

Sudden Dementia

Answer 4

A sudden onset of confusion or dementia makes me think that the problem is probably medical. An elderly person can become confused by having something as simple as a urinary infection.

The other thing that can cause a sudden onset of confusion is depression. Because of your dad's age and the fact that he had a heart attack 2 years ago make me think of this as a possibility. Sometimes a person will have depression wth no outward signs that gets steadily worse and worse. Then when it is bad enough, the person may become either psychotic or become confused. Both of these conditions can be reversed with medication.

Doctors have known for 20 years that a person does not get confused or have dementia just because of getting older. It is always due to some disease process.

If your dad's confusion is due to his kidney infection, the confusion will go away when the infection gets cleared up. God bless you and your dad.

Answer 5

I had a UTI that led to a bad kidney infection. I was fine at first but the infection hit me hard one day when I was at work. I was dealing with a customer and I suddenly didn't know where I was or why I was holding money. I would start talking and forget the words as soon as I spoke them. I was delirious and it came in waves, about every 15 minutes. It went along with an on/off fever from the infection. Serious infection is known to cause delirium, especially in the elderly as can surgery, fever, toxic drug reactions, etc..

My grandmother slowly developed dementia (not Alzheimer's) in her mid-80s. She was living alone and was getting into dangerous situations. We had to move her into a nursing home when she was about 90. For some reason, the move into the home seemed to push her over the edge. It was sudden delirium on top of her already present dementia. If your dad was recently placed in the hospital that may have something to do with it suddenly being much worse.

Answer 6

My husband had sudden onset of frontal temporal lobe dementia .after a serious emotional experience - he was treated for severe depression and anxiety -however it took another doctor a year later after neurology tests to get correct cause. He went to bed and has been there 90% of time for over 2 years. It is a horrible disease - he takes Namenda, anti-depression and sometimes anxiety medications - he was very active - health club, chorale singing ,talking books, volunteer work and now this is how he lives 74 years old

Answer 7

There are many possible reasons for what is perceived as "sudden" dementia.
He may have had a small stroke in his sleep which only became noticeable when he spoke.
He may have been slowly building up to dementia and the sudden spell in hospital- away from his accustomed surroundings -- has brought on more symptoms.
It may be a temporary thing, due to medication and unfamiliar surroundings.
I hope he recovers his powers and wish him the very best of health and luck.

Answer 8

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RE:
sudden onset of dementia?
my dad is sick in hospital, and at present they r looking as to whether it is a kidney infection, he is 84 had aheart attack 2 yrs ago, but the most worrying thing is his sudden loss of mental capacity, before he was getting a bit muddled now and then but over the course of the last week there has...

Answer 9

Dementia's can present with a gradual insidious decline (Alzheimer's type) or step-wise drop offs with episodes of crisis (Vascular type). Or a mixture of the two.
The history of heart disease might point to a Vascular explanation.
However the suddeness of events makes me think of a delirium. This is a short term episode of mental dysfunction, very often due to infection, which can profoundly derange the mental functions of the elderly. It is reversible as soon as the physical cause is found and treated (if it can be).
The kidney infection pushes me towards delirium as my preferred explanation. Although an existing mild dementia may have been there before.

Answer 10

My father is about the same age as yours and a few years back he had two mild strokes in the brain within one year apart. The last one was a bit severe and he developed symptoms similar to what you have stated for a few days. After clinical treatment of about two weeks he is cured now from 'dementia' like symptoms, but frail from the stroke and old age illnesses.

It is difficult to say if your father's case is similar or not, but keep on taking good care of him and hopefully things would also turn better for him.