Dawaa Reference

chronic

Memory or Attention Problem

Treatment options, dosing, cautions and Egyptian brands from the shipped Dawaa Reference card.

Evidence status

Checked against the sources named below

Sources3 sources

ICPC-3 (WONCA International Classification of Primary Care, 3rd edition) class PS17 - condition scope only, no dose · Mild Cognitive Impairment - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK599514/ · No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care

Verified against2 documents
  • No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care
  • Memory or Attention Problem - disease-level clinical article (memory-or-attention-problem-clinical.txt)

Verified date2026-08

Presentation reference

Is it this?

Reference only, to read alongside your own examination.

Symptoms — what the patient reports (2)

  • Repeatedly asking the same questions or forgetting recent events, immediate location, or something just read signals short-term memory loss [memory loss]
  • Korsakoff syndrome from alcohol use brings invented memories used to fill gaps, along with psychiatric symptoms

Tests (5)

  • Simple word or digit recall tasks assess the verbal component of short-term memory
  • The MMSE and MoCA are standard cognitive screens used alongside memory-specific tools
  • MRI or CT can help identify a structural cause and reveal atrophy patterns suggestive of a particular dementia
  • Vitamin B12 level is one of the laboratory tests that may be needed in the workup
  • The CVLT-3 can help distinguish Alzheimer disease memory loss from Huntington disease

If not this — what else fits (8)

  • Alzheimer disease characteristically starts with short-term memory loss while long-term memory is relatively spared
  • Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is confirmed by characteristic brain MRI findings and CSF prion testing
  • Frontotemporal dementia is marked by prominent behavioral and language change with a strong genetic component
  • Progressive supranuclear palsy features early falls and postural instability with slowed, limited eye movements
  • Semantic dementia mainly impairs semantic memory through degeneration of the anterior temporal lobes
  • Traumatic brain injury causes diffuse axonal injury with slowed processing along with impulsivity and apathy
  • Vitamin B12 or B1 deficiency can impair short-term memory
  • Hypothyroidism can present with memory impairment and brain fog

Scores

  • Abbreviated Mental Test Score (AMTS) — Is there cognitive impairment worth investigating?

SourceStatPearls "Short-Term Memory Impairment" - disease-level clinical article

Presentation findings are traced to the source above.

1

NO DRUG THERAPY IN PRIMARY CARE (REFERRAL & ADVICE)

1st line
Adult dose and duration

Covers amnesia, disorientation, or difficulty concentrating; causes range from normal ageing and stress to dementia, depression, or an acute confusional state. The GP assesses onset and course, treats a reversible cause if found, and refers for cognitive assessment if progressive decline is suspected. - Refer, with advice

Paediatric dose

Children follow the same pathway: recognise and refer. No primary-care medicine is implied.

Dose source

No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care

Why

Covers amnesia, disorientation, or difficulty concentrating; causes range from normal ageing and stress to dementia, depression, or an acute confusional state. The GP assesses onset and course, treats a reversible cause if found, and refers for cognitive assessment if progressive decline is suspected.

Cautions
  • No medicine is prescribed for this in primary care - this entry is for recognition and referral. Anything given is decided by the service it is referred to.
  • RED FLAG - Patients with severe memory loss are at risk of self-harm/safety hazards (e.g. leaving stoves on, getting lost in familiar places) and medication mis-administration (double-dosing or missing doses).
  • RED FLAG - Sudden confusion or disorientation (possible delirium - look for infection, a metabolic cause, or drug toxicity), progressive memory loss affecting daily function (possible dementia), or a preceding head injury.

Prices are indicative (dataset snapshot 2026-06); verify with the pharmacy.