Neurosyphilis Presenting with Non-Convulsive Status Epilepticus

Neurosyphilis is an infectious disease of the central nervous system caused by Treponema pallidum spirochete. There are several case reports on atypical manifestations of neurosyphilis, involving progressive cognitive dysfunction and seizures similar to those in herpes encephalitis. Seizures are common in patients with neurosyphilis, but they are usually associated with a positive Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction and status epilepticus is atypical as an initial manifestation of neurosyphilis. Here, we report on neurosyphilis patient whose initial symptom was nonconversive status epilepticus.

The Assessment of Routine Electroencephalography in Patients with Altered Mental Status

PURPOSE: Changes in electroencephalography (EEG) patterns may offer a clue to the cause of altered mental status and suggest the prognoses of patients with such mental status. We aimed to identify the EEG patterns in patients with altered mental status and to correlate EEG findings with clinical prognoses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We included 105 patients with altered mental status who underwent EEG. EEG and clinical chart reviews with ongoing patient follow-ups were performed to determine the clinical prognosis of the patients. Clinical data were sorted using the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS). EEG findings were classified according to a method suggested by Scollo-Lavizzari. The EEGs were analyzed to find out whether any correlation existed with the prognoses of patients. RESULTS: Nonconvulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) was detected in only three patients (2.9%). Specific EEG patterns were observed in 28 patients. Twenty-nine (27.6%) patients expired, and 45 (42.9%) patients were in a vegetative state. EEG grade and GCS significantly correlated with GOS. EEG grade alone had a correlation with GCS. Patients with a severe EEG finding had a poor prognosis. CONCLUSION: EEG findings reflect the mental status of patients, and EEG grades are correlated with the clinical prognosis of patients. Although EEG is not frequently performed on patients with altered mental state, it can play a supplemental role in establishing a prognosis. Thus, the use of EEG should be emphasized in clinical setting.

Differences in Cognitive Function and Activities of Daily Living between Alzheimer Patients with Depression and Those without Depression / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVES: Coexistence of depression is one of the important behavioral symptoms in patients with dementia of Alzheimer type. The study on the relationship between depression and cognitive abilities and/or functional abilities emerges as very important one. The aim of this study was to investigate whether depression is related to the impairment of daily activities and to certain areas of cognitive function in mild to moderate dementia of Alzheimer type. METHODS: In this study, 48 patients with dementia of Alzheimer type among elderly community-residents in Kwangju, Kyunggi province, aged 65 and older, were finally included. We examined their demographics and administered Korean Version of the Mini-Mental State Examination(MMSE-K), Korean Version of the Neurobehavioral Cognitive Status Examination(Korean version of NCSE), Korean Form of Geriatric Depression Scale(KGDS), Activities of Daily Living(ADL), and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living(IADL) to the subjects. We classified the subjects into two groups, dementia with and without depression on the basis of KGDS scores. The two groups were compared using X2 test and independent ttest. RESULTS: The results show that the two groups did not differ in sex, age, education, and scores of MMSE-K. The depressed dementia group showed significantly poorer performance in bathing, one item of ADL, than the nondepressed dementia group. The depressed dementia group showed significantly more impairment in total scores of IADL and each score of three items(shopping, housework, handling finances) than the non-depressed dementia group. However, the two groups showed no significant differences in five major cognitive ability areas of Korean version of NCSE. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that depression in patients with dementia of Alzheimer type is highly related to the functional impairments, instrumental activities of daily living and part of activities of daily living, beyond the effects of cognitive impairments.