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Organic brain syndrome   

Overview | Symptoms | Treatment | Prevention

Alternative names:

OBS; Organic mental disorder; Chronic organic brain syndrome

Definition:

Organic brain syndrome is a general term that refers to physical disorders that cause a decrease in mental function, usually not including psychiatric disorders.

Causes and Risks

OBS is a common "diagnosis" of the elderly. It is not an inevitable part of aging, however. OBS is not a separate disease entity, but is a general term used to categorize physical conditions that can cause mental changes.

Disorders associated with OBS include, but are not limited to:

• Degenerative disorders:
  • Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease
  • Huntington disease
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Normal pressure hydrocephalus
  • Pick's disease
  • Senile dementia/Alzheimer's type
• Cardiovascular disorders:
  • Arrhythmias -- may cause some types of OBS
  • Cardiac infections (endocarditis, myocarditis, etc.) -- may sometimes cause OBS
  • Hypertensive brain injury
  • Multi-infarct dementia
  • Stroke
  • TIA
• Trauma-induced brain injury:
  • Chronic subdural hematoma
  • Concussion
  • Intracerebral hemorrhage
  • Subarachnoid hemorrhage
• Dementia due to metabolic causes
• Respiratory conditions -- may cause or aggravate OBS
  • Hypoxia (decreased oxygen in the body)
  • Hypercapnia (increased carbon dioxide levels in the body)
• Infections
  • Any acute or chronic infection
  • Septicemia (presence in the bloodstream of toxic by-products caused by infection)
  • Meningitis
  • Encephalitis
• Drug and alcohol related conditions
  • Intoxication, drug abuse or alcohol use
  • Long-term effects of alcohol, Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome
  • Alcohol withdrawal state
  • Withdrawal from drugs (especially sedative-hypnotics and corticosteroids)
• Parkinson's disease

Other conditions that may be related to organic brain syndrome include: depression, neuroses, and psychoses of various types, which may occur simultaneously with the OBS.

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