A member asked:

Can addison, disease be misdiagnosed, along with the hyponatremia, as dementia?

5 doctors weighed in across 3 answers
Dr. David Geffner answered

Specializes in Endocrinology

Yes: Both hyper and hyponatremia can cause symptoms suggesting dementia.

Answered 9/3/2012

5.6k views

Thank
Dr. Maureen Nash answered

Specializes in Geriatric Psychiatry

Not usually: Addison's causes severe fatigue and weakness, loss of weight, increased pigmentation of the skin, faintness and low blood pressure, nausea, vomiting, salt cravings and painful muscles and joints. Dementia is associated with memory problems and loss of other areas of brain function. Certainly hyponatremia can cause confusion but the overall history of these 2 illnesses is quite different.

Answered 7/17/2013

5.6k views

Thank
Dr. Pamela Pappas answered

Specializes in Psychiatry

It could be: There could be a misdiagnosis if the physician did not take a full history, and did not check labs when doing the evaluation. The patient's thinking could be confused and cognition poor -- but hyponatremia can itself cause this. I can see how it could be overlooked in a very time-limited medical appointment, but most doctors would still want to find treatable causes of "dementia.".

Answered 12/9/2013

5.6k views

Thank

Related Questions

A member asked:

Please advise what is the difference between dementia and alzheimer's disease?

3 doctors weighed in across 2 answers

A member asked:

Are senile dementia and alzheimer's nearly the same disease?

7 doctors weighed in across 3 answers

A member asked:

Are vascular dementia and alzheimer's essentially the same disease?

4 doctors weighed in across 3 answers

A member asked:

In what ways does vascular dementia differ from alzheimer's disease?

5 doctors weighed in across 2 answers