The commonest form of dementia is?

Appeared in: IGNOU PB Bsc Nsg Entrance-2017

Explanation

Alzheimer's disease is the most frequent cause of dementia, responsible for 50-60% of all cases.
It is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that typically begins with episodic memory loss and spreads to affect other cognitive functions.
Its prevalence increases with age, affecting a significant portion of the population over 85 years old.

Option B: Dementia related to Parkinson's disease is a much less common cause, accounting for only about 1-5% of all dementia cases.
Option C: Vascular dementia is the second most common type, accounting for 15-30% of cases, but it is significantly less prevalent than Alzheimer's disease.
Option D: While the co-occurrence of different dementia pathologies (like Alzheimer's and vascular) is common, Alzheimer's disease remains the most frequent primary or single diagnosis.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Prevalence of different types of dementia as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Nurses play a key role in screening for cognitive impairment using tools like the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) to facilitate early diagnosis and intervention.
Management involves not only administering medications like cholinesterase inhibitors but also providing a safe environment, managing behavioral symptoms, and offering crucial support to the patient's family and caregivers.
What if? If a patient presents with a sudden onset of confusion and cognitive deficits after surgery, the priority would be to investigate for delirium (e.g., from infection, medication, or metabolic imbalance) rather than assuming a new diagnosis of dementia.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the core of the question, which asks for the 'commonest' or most frequent type of dementia.
This is a factual recall question. Access your knowledge about the epidemiology of major neurocognitive disorders.
Compare the prevalence rates of the options provided: Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, vascular dementia, and mixed dementia.
Recall that Alzheimer's disease accounts for the majority of cases (over 50%).
Select Alzheimer's disease as the correct answer because it has the highest prevalence among all dementia types.

Concept Tested & Keywords

QVmGYk9MSn13Q1igHIFs_1

E6 Kaplan Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry-2022 (pp 1-3768 of 3768) p. 776-778

E6 Medicine Harrison 22e Part 2 p. 1393-1395

E6 Medicine Harrison 22e Part 1 p. 235-237

Practise the full IGNOU PB Bsc Nsg Entrance-2017

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.