Dementia due to Hypothyroidism
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Dementia due to hypothyroidism is usually reversible with treatment of the glandular condition.
Hypothyroidism occurs when the thyroid gland does not produce enough of certain chemicals or hormones it needs to function properly. Dementia is a commonly overlooked symptom of the condition. As a result, it is frequently misdiagnosed. This is because of its gradual progression, which makes it hard to distinguish from the more common dementias such as Alzheimer's. But Alzheimer's is irreversible and hypothyroidism is not. Therefore, it is essential to check for thyroid function when diagnosing dementia.
Causes
Symptoms
Features
Diagnosis
Prognosis
- There are a number of possible causes of hypothyroidism, including an attack of your immune system upon the gland, a genetic predisposition to the disease, medications like lithium and damage to the gland from an injury, surgery or radiation treatment for cancer.
- Symptoms of dementia due to hypothyroidism include changes in mood or personality, aggression, confusion, visual or auditory hallucinations and cognitive impairment.
- Often, the symptoms of dementia due to hypothyroidism develop slowly over a period of months or even years, making it easy to mistake for age-related dementia in elderly patients. Sometimes other symptoms due to hypothyroidism accompany the dementia, such as unexplained weight gain or extreme fatigue, but this is not always the case.
- Doctors rely on a blood test that measures levels of thyroid hormones in your body to diagnose hypothyroidism.
- Dementia due to hypothyroidism can usually be reversed with treatment of the glandular condition. Doctors commonly treat the condition with a prescription medication that is a synthetic version of thyroid hormones.
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Source:
National Institutes of Health
.
