Memory Loss, Confusion in a 51-Year-Old Fired From Her Job

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Background

A 51-year-old woman is brought in by her husband, who reports that she has had slowly progressive cognitive decline for around 2 years. Her initial symptoms included memory loss, forgetting conversations, repeating herself, and asking the same question within a short period. She had been working as a mortgage underwriter for 20 years and was laid off from her job 18 months ago. She took another position doing a similar, but less demanding, job and was let go from that job 7 months ago. Her husband notes that she was having difficulty remembering the password that she used every day.

The patient has also had difficulty remembering names of characters in the TV shows she watches and is having problems looking things up on the Internet. She is no longer able to write checks, and her husband has taken over the bills and finances. The patient has lived in the same city for 49 years but now gets easily turned around in familiar places. She continues to be in relatively good spirits but is noted to have episodes of severe anxiety.

The patient has had a history of irritable bowel syndrome but has otherwise been healthy. She is taking over-the-counter vitamin supplementation and is not on any prescription medications. She has not had any focal neurologic symptoms and has not had any headaches, fevers, or seizures. She reports no illicit drug use or excessive alcohol consumption.

Both of her parents are aged 72 years and cognitively healthy.

Any views expressed above are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WebMD or Medscape.

Cite this: Lisa C. Silbert, Deniz Erten-Lyons. Memory Loss, Confusion in a 51-Year-Old Fired From Her Job - Medscape - Mar 02, 2023.

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