Re: MSA with dementia

July 16, 2002

Hello CG,

And welcome to the group, although I'm sorry you have a reason to be here.

My husband Rob was diagnosed in March of 1998, so we've been dealing with

this for a while. Rob's got pretty much the full compliment of MSA

symptoms, but fortunately the disease seems to have progressed slowly and

he's still able to function pretty well, with the help of lots of meds.

As far as dementia is concerned, it is NOT considered to be a usual part of

MSA. Rob has difficulty with mental tasks, but it's not dementia as such.

There was a good speaker at the Boston meeting who talked about cognitive

issues. I took extensive notes, which you can see if you look back to

message #28806 in the Yahoo Group archives.

If what is experiencing is confusion, be sure he is getting enough

sleep. Also, lack of dopamine can cause cognitive problems, so he may need

to be taking some Parkinson's type meds even though he doesn't have any

Parkinson's symptoms per se. Low blood pressure can also cause confusion,

so be sure he is drinking enough water and try taking his bp when he is

having a particularly bad time and see where it is.

Finally, if the problem is truly dementia, may have Difuse Lewy Body

Disease, which is very similar to MSA. Dementia is one of the symptoms of

that illness. Unfortunately neither disease is curable, but if the problem

is truly dementia the drug aricept, which is used for Alzheimer's patients,

may be of assistance. You might ask 's doctor if he thinks a trial of

this medication might be helpful.

Whatever the underlying problem is, stick with us! This group is a life

saver for me, and we're always here for each other.

Good luck,

Carol & Rob

Lexington, MA

MSA with dementia

> Hello - I'm CG and my husband, , has recently been diagnosed by

> Mayo Clinic (AZ) as having " probable " ShyDrager Syndrome. He has some

> of the symptoms - orthostatic hypotension being the primary symptom,

> sleep apnea, slurring of words and dropping vocal volume, lack of

> sweating, etc. - but does not have any tremors or muscle stiffness or

> bladder/bowel disfunction. However, he has some dramatic dementia

> symptoms along with everything else. The docs say it is not

> alzheimer's related dementia, but is more consistent with parkinson's

> type dementia. I've been reading the recent communications within

> this group - (And what a group it is!!! Such wonderful support and

> assistance... makes me want to meet each and every one of you in

> person.) - and haven't found any reference whatsoever to dementia as

> a symptom. Since we're new at this, I haven't asked the docs whether

> the dementia is a separate thing from Shy-Drager, or MSA. I could use

> some feedback on this topic. has been my best friend for so long

> and we have always discussed so many things - and now he isn't able

> to converse very well. I think the loneliness, even though we're

> together, is the most difficult thing to cope with. If the dementia

> isn't consistent with MSA, maybe I should look for a support group

> for that specific problem? Any ideas? I'll look forward to hearing

> your thoughts. Thanks..... CG

>

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July 16, 2002

Hi CG,

Dementia with the other problems you mention could be atypical MSA or CBGD or

even Lewy Body Disease. Ask the doctor if they will try Aricept for the

dementia. It has helped some people on this list.

Take care, Bill Werre

============================================

>

> Date: 2002/07/15 Mon PM 10:00:07 CDT

> To: shydrager

> Subject: MSA with dementia