Chronic Confusion or Cognitive Problems

CLINICAL DIAGNOSTIC MANUAL

Chronic confusion or cognitive problems refer to a gradual and persistent decline in the ability to think, remember, and reason. This type of impairment can severely affect an individual’s functionality and quality of life, impacting their ability to perform daily activities, communicate, and maintain social relationships.

Chronic confusion is often associated with neurodegenerative diseases and other brain disorders that worsen over time. Early identification and management of these conditions are crucial to providing the best possible care and slowing the progression of symptoms.

Pathology	Symptoms and Clinical Signs	Suspected Diagnosis	Confirmed Diagnosis
Alzheimer’s disease	Progressive memory loss, disorientation, language problems, personality changes	Progressive cognitive decline, family history of Alzheimer’s	Neuropsychological evaluation, MRI showing brain atrophy, DSM-5 criteria
Vascular dementia	Confusion, memory problems, personality changes, focal neurological symptoms	History of cerebrovascular events, sudden onset of cognitive decline	Brain imaging showing infarcts or vascular lesions
Lewy body dementia	Visual hallucinations, fluctuations in cognitive state, movement problems, rigidity	Fluctuating cognitive and motor symptoms, visual hallucinations	Neuropsychological evaluation, MRI showing brain atrophy, clinical criteria
Huntington’s disease	Involuntary movements (chorea), personality changes, cognitive decline	Family history of Huntington’s, progressive motor and cognitive symptoms	Genetic tests confirming HTT gene mutation
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease	Rapid cognitive decline, myoclonus, ataxia, behavioural changes	Rapidly progressive symptoms, history of prion exposure	EEG showing characteristic changes, MRI showing brain atrophy, brain biopsy