A GP’s Case Study: Dementia

Since then, her daughter continues to visit for about two hours after work every evening. She helps with cooking and housekeeping. She has often noticed that her mother eats significantly less than she did before and that she leaves her food partially untouched. When questioned, Mrs M assures her daughter that she does eat and drink enough during the day. Upon further questioning, Mrs M reacts with latent aggression and expresses explicitly that she does not appreciate being patronized. Her daughter suspects that her mother does not tell the truth, but she decides not to escalate these situations with further probing.

In the event of Mrs M's symptoms worsening, Mrs M's doctor has broached the subject of possible accommodation in a nursing home, but the patient has vehemently rejected the idea. Her relatives also want to delay the move to a nursing home for as long as possible.

Monitoring the patient's hydration and nutritional status is of great importance for treating dementia. Particularly, an insufficient supply of fluid can strongly influence the symptoms. Similarly, malnutrition can negatively affect the course of the disease as well, as studies have shown a correlation between malnutrition and dementia. Dementia patients can therefore benefit greatly from the use of bioimpedance analysis (BIA) which can closely monitor their body composition and hydration status.

Our seca mBCA is a medically validated, non-invasive BIA device. In just a few seconds, it provides precise data on a patient's general condition. It is able to detect even the slightest deviations in water content and body composition. The stationary seca mBCA 515 and mobile seca mBCA 525 are available for use in outpatient settings. The seca mBCA 525 is particularly suitable for home visits thanks to its small dimensions, high battery life and a storage capacity of 100,000 individual measurements.

Mrs M is regularly neurologically and medically treated. Lately, her GP has made use of the seca mBCA 525 during her regular visits. Her last measurements calculated her weight at 58 kg and her height at 167 cm, which puts her body mass index at 20.8 kg / m2. Mrs M's weight is therefore within a normal range, if not entirely ideal for her age.

The BIA rates Mrs M's fat tissue ratio as normal, however the percentage of her body’s fat-free mass is slightly less than it should be. The Body Composition Chart (BCC) indicates a loss of muscle and suggests that Mrs M suffers from the early stages of sarcopenia. The results of the bioimpedance vector analysis also show a loss of cell mass and an additional reduction in water content. The lowered phase angle also indicates a poor nutritional state of the cells.

With the help of the seca mBCA, Mrs M's GP is able to notice the early stages of sarcopenia caused by malnutrition and lack of physical activity, as well as slight dehydration. The BIA's results convinced Mrs M to start a better dietary plan to ensure that she eats and drinks enough, and to start simple exercises with her daughter’s help. These early measurements made it possible to treat Mrs M's nutrient deficiencies. Thanks to close monitoring and appropriate intervention, her quality of life can be easily improved. It also helped to prevent her primary disease from worsening, as well as the need for a nursing home. 

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