A Taipei City Hospital psychiatrist said symptoms of dementia can be triggered in a variety of ways, citing the example of a recent case of non-Alzheimer degenerative dementia he treated that was caused by a syphilis infection, and urged people who suspect they have symptoms to be examined as soon as possible
A 70-year-old married man with no history of psychiatric illness or chronic diseases had retired at the age of 55 and lived with his wife, kept regular hours and sometimes invested in the stock market, but at the age of 69, his wife suddenly noticed that his memory began failing, said psychiatrist Huang Chuo-yin (黃卓尹), who treated the man.
He often spoke about things he had just mentioned, could no longer season his food correctly when cooking and had delusions, often suspecting that someone had stolen his watch, he said.
Police took the man to Taipei City Hospital’s Songde Branch for psychiatric treatment after he disturbed a neighbor one day.
The man had difficulty speaking, poor memory and was unwilling to bathe or take medication when he was hospitalized, Huang said, adding that he was at times in high spirits and very talkative, but at other times delusional, claiming he was a billionaire and wanted to buy more real estate.
The patient’s illness progressed very quickly and he suffered cognitive impairment, heightened emotions and a change in personality, which are not typical Alzheimer’s symptoms, so after comprehensive examinations, he was diagnosed with neurosyphilis, Huang said.
Neurosyphilis is a life-threatening infection of the nervous system, specifically of the brain and the spinal cord, by the bacteria Treponema pallidum and can occur if syphilis is not treated.
Huang said neurosyphilis can affect a person’s physical abilities, as well as their perception, cognitive abilities and emotions, and in some cases can mimic dementia.
As dementia can be caused by various illnesses, including cerebral infarction, stroke, brain damage, a tumor, infection or endocrine disorder, it is important to see a neurologist or psychiatrist as soon as symptoms appear, to identify their cause and find a suitable treatment, he said.
A group of Taiwanese-American and Tibetan-American students at Harvard University on Saturday disrupted Chinese Ambassador to the US Xie Feng’s (謝鋒) speech at the school, accusing him of being responsible for numerous human rights violations. Four students — two Taiwanese Americans and two from Tibet — held up banners inside a conference hall where Xie was delivering a speech at the opening ceremony of the Harvard Kennedy School China Conference 2024. In a video clip provided by the Coalition of Students Resisting the CCP (Chinese Communist Party), Taiwanese-American Cosette Wu (吳亭樺) and Tibetan-American Tsering Yangchen are seen holding banners that together read:
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Heat advisories were in effect for nine administrative regions yesterday afternoon as warm southwesterly winds pushed temperatures above 38°C in parts of southern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 3:30pm yesterday, Tainan’s Yujing District (玉井) had recorded the day’s highest temperature of 39.7°C, though the measurement will not be included in Taiwan’s official heat records since Yujing is an automatic rather than manually operated weather station, the CWA said. Highs recorded in other areas were 38.7°C in Kaohsiung’s Neimen District (內門), 38.2°C in Chiayi City and 38.1°C in Pingtung’s Sandimen Township (三地門), CWA data showed. The spell of scorching