TRANSIENT GLOBAL AMNESIA IN A PATIENT WITH HYPERTENSIVE CRISIS

Abstract

Transient global amnesia was established by Fisher et Adams is 1964 for phenomena characterized by the sudden onset of all types memory loss, retrograde amnesia and the inability to form new memories and to recall the recent past. The incidence of TGA is 5 to10 people per 100,000 worldwide but the real incidence is unknown because the episodes of memory loss are temporary and many patients don’t go to see a doctor at the time of attack. The triggers of TAG are physical activity, sexual intercourse, pain, Valsalva maneuver etc. In routine clinical practice TAG is more important for neurologists. But this problem is also interesting for therapeutists because TAG could be developed in patients with arterial hypertension, foramen ovale, mitral valve prolapse and heart blocks. We present a 57-year-old female with TAG. She was admitted to the hospital due to hypertensive crisis and an impaired ability to retain new information that started after physical activity. The diagnosis of TAG was based on information from attacks witnesses, the sudden onset of anterograde amnesia, normal cognition of the patient and short duration of attack. Also, the patient had no features of stroke, acute hypertensive encephalopathy, epilepsy and alcohol blackout. TAG is more typical for females over 50 years, all symptoms start after physical activity and resolve within 24 hours. It is characterized by reversibility of all symptoms and good prognosis of 2 years of follow-up.

Keywords

• transient global amnesia
• hypertensive crisis