Nokea
An elderly patient is brought to the clinic for confusion, horizontal eye movement bilaterally, and intermittent disorientation to time and place over the past 3 months. The patient has a history of alcoholism for 30 years. Which dementia type is the patient most likely experiencing?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The correct answer is A: Wernicke's encephalopathy. This patient's history of chronic alcoholism puts them at risk for thiamine deficiency, leading to Wernicke's encephalopathy. Symptoms such as confusion, horizontal eye movement abnormalities (nystagmus), and disorientation are classic features. Pick's disease (B) is a rare form of frontotemporal dementia with distinct pathological features. Lewy bodies (C) are associated with dementia with Lewy bodies, characterized by visual hallucinations and parkinsonism. Parkinson's disease (D) primarily presents with motor symptoms like tremors and rigidity, not cognitive deficits like this patient.