Symptom Signs of Mild to Moderate Parkinson's Disease Dementia
A person with Parkinson's disease dementia for at least two years, and in whom other dementias have been ruled out, may have Parkinson's disease dementia if he or she has trouble with the following:
Executive function (meaning solving problems, planning and remembering things)
Memory retrieval
Attention
Risk Factors for Parkinson's Disease Dementia
Understanding the risk factors that may lead to Parkinson's disease dementia can help you look out for possible changes that may occur and seek treatment when necessary. These risk factors include:
Age — Parkinson's disease dementia is more likely to develop in people who are age 70 or older when they are diagnosed with Parkinson's disease
Gender — men are more likely to develop Parkinson's disease dementia than women
Past medical history
A history of depression
Heart and/or blood vessel problems
Inherited genes
Diagnosing Mild to Moderate Parkinson's Disease Dementia
Like other forms of dementia, mild to moderate Parkinson's disease dementia is mainly diagnosed by obtaining a detailed medical history. Sometimes, healthcare professionals will also take a look at the following areas for signs of mild to moderate Parkinson's disease dementia:
Executive Function
The term "executive function" refers to general decision-making and judgment abilities that can be tested by asking a patient to react to a situation or complete a pattern.
Recent and Remote Memory
Recent memory can be assessed by asking a patient to describe what he or she had for dinner the previous night. A patient might also be asked to recall numbers or objects that were mentioned a few minutes earlier in the conversation.
Remote memory can be tested by asking the patient about important current or historical events. For example, the physician may ask the patient to recall well-known information and details surrounding the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
PDD Compared with Alzheimer's Disease
While patients with PDD report deficits in learning new information, these deficits tend to be less severe than those of patients with AD. People with PDD may have impaired free recall, but their recognition is significantly better than those with AD, potentially indicating that new information is stored but cannot readily be recalled.
