Amnestic Disorder Due To Known Physiological Condition: Diagnosis And Treatment.

About

Amnestic disorder due to known physiological condition refers to disorders where loss of memory occurs, due to certain medical conditions and chemicals that cause disturbances in the memory. It can mean either of three conditions: loss of memory previously achieved, or loss of the ability to form new memories or inability to learn.

Amnesia can usually affect people of all ages but mostly starts affecting adults around the age 45 years. [1]

Risk factors for Amnestic disorder due to known physiological conditions are:
- Injury to head.
- Brain Surgery.
- Alcohol or drug abuse.
- Seizure.
Underlying causes can be dementia, alcohol abuse, anoxia, stress, electroconvulsive therapy, or any damage to the hippocampus.
Diagnosis is done by methods like general exam, medical history, blood tests, head x-ray.

Symptoms

Common symptoms of Amnestic disorder due to known physiological condition include:
- Difficulty in recalling information (forgetfulness).
- Difficulty in creating new memories.
- Difficulty in telling the time.
- Emotional changes.
- Confabulation.

Sometimes, amnesia is self-diagnosable. In other cases, concerned friends and relatives may also report memory loss symptoms to a doctor.
Diagnosis is done by a neurologist through imaging studies, examining blood and urine samples, and mini-mental state examination.
Other tests the neurologist performs include MRI and CT scan.

Treatment

There is no proper medication for amnesia. Nevertheless, treatment consists of making up for the memory loss so that day-to-day activities are not affected.
Self-care:
- Taking notes to help with everyday activities.
- Exercise
- Abstaining from alcohol

Medication:
For Amnestic disorder caused by Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome, replacing Thiamin vitamin might be helpful.

Specialist:
Visiting a Neurologist will help in understanding Amnesia better. This involves placing your concerns and queries before the specialist and answering some questions. At mfine, we assist and understand our patients in order to achieve proper health through correct diagnosis and treatment.