paralytic dementia

dementia /de·men·tia/ (dĕ-men´shah) a general loss of cognitive abilities, including impairment of memory as well as one or more of the following: aphasia, apraxia, agnosia, or disturbed planning, organizing, and abstract thinking abilities. It does not include decreased cognitive functioning due to clouding of consciousness, depression, or other functional mental disorder.

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Alzheimer's dementia  see under disease.

dementia of the Alzheimer type  dementia of insidious onset and gradually progressive course, with histopathological changes characteristic of Alzheimer's disease, categorized as early onset or late onset depending on whether or not it begins by the age of 65.

arteriosclerotic dementia  multi-infarct dementia as a result of cerebral arteriosclerosis.

Binswanger's dementia  see under disease.

boxer's dementia  a syndrome due to cumulative cerebral injuries in boxers, with forgetfulness, slowness in thinking, dysarthric speech, and slow uncertain movements, especially of the legs.

dialysis dementia  see under encephalopathy.

multi-infarct dementia  vascular d.

paralytic dementia , dementia paraly´tica general paresis.

dementia prae´cox  (obs.) schizophrenia.

presenile dementia  that occurring in younger persons, usually age 65 or younger; since most cases are due to Alzheimer's disease, the term is sometimes used as a synonym of dementia of the Alzheimer type, early onset, and has also been used to denote Alzheimer's disease.

senile dementia  that occurring in older persons, usually over the age of 65; since most cases are due to Alzheimer's disease, the term is sometimes used as a synonym of dementia of the Alzheimer type, late onset.

subcortical dementia  any of a group of dementias thought to be caused by lesions particularly affecting subcortical brain structures, characterized by memory loss with slowness of information processing and of the formation of intellectual responses.

substance-induced persisting dementia  that resulting from exposure to or use or abuse of a substance (e.g., alcohol, sedatives, anticonvulsants, or lead) but persisting long after exposure ends, usually with permanent and worsening deficits.

vascular dementia  that with a stepwise deteriorating course and a patchy distribution of neurologic deficits caused by cerebrovascular disease.

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paralytic dementia

n.

See general paresis.

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paralytic dementia.

See paresis, def. 2.

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dementia [dĕ-men´shah]

a general loss of cognitive abilities, including impairment of memory as well as one or more of the following: aphasia, apraxia, agnosia, or disturbed planning, organizing, and abstract thinking abilities. It does not include loss of intellectual functioning caused by clouding of consciousness (as in delirium), depression, or other functional mental disorder (pseudodementia). Causes include a large number of conditions, some reversible and some progressive, that result in widespread cerebral damage or dysfunction. The most common cause is Alzheimer's disease; others include cerebrovascular disease, central nervous system infection, brain trauma or tumors, vitamin deficiencies, anoxia, metabolic conditions, endocrine conditions, immune disorders, prion diseases, Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, normal-pressure hydrocephalus, Huntington's chorea, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson's disease.

dementia of the Alzheimer type official name for alzheimer's disease.

Binswanger's dementia a progressive dementia of presenile onset due to demyelination of the subcortical white matter of the brain, with sclerotic changes in the blood vessels supplying it.

boxer's dementia a syndrome more serious than boxer's traumatic encephalopathy, the result of cumulative injuries to the brain in boxers; characterized by forgetfulness, slowness in thinking, dysarthric speech, and slow, uncertain movements, especially of the legs.

epileptic dementia a progressive mental and intellectual deterioration that occurs in a small fraction of cases of epilepsy; it is thought by some to be caused by degeneration of neurons resulting from circulatory disturbances during seizures.

multi-infarct dementia vascular d.

paralytic dementia (dementia paraly´tica) general paresis.

dementia prae´cox (obs.) schizophrenia.

presenile dementia name given to dementia of the Alzheimer type when it occurs in persons younger than age 65.

senile dementia name given to dementia of the Alzheimer type when it occurs in persons aged 65 or older.

substance-induced persisting dementia that resulting from exposure to or use or abuse of a substance, such as alcohol, sedatives, anxiolytics, anticonvulsants, lead, mercury, carbon monoxide, or organophosphate insecticides, but persisting long after exposure to the substance ends, usually with permanent and worsening deficits. Individual cases are named for the specific substance involved.

vascular dementia patchy deterioration of intellectual function resulting from damage by a significant cerebrovascular disorder.