Transient global amnesia: Uncommon diagnosis of exclusion

Abstract

Abstract Transient global amnesia (TGA) is an uncommon clinical syndrome characterized by short‐term memory loss and disorientation that resolves in 24 h. Here, we report a 60‐year‐old male patient who presented with a sudden onset of disorientation and short‐term memory loss and started to ask about his whereabouts and what happened. He had no significant past medical or psychiatric disorder. Likewise, the patient did not have a recent history of head trauma, substance abuse, loss of consciousness, seizure disorder, or migraine. Neurologic examination was normal except for mild disorientation and short‐term memory impairment. He had a score of 18/30 on the mini‐mental state examination. Extensive laboratory investigations did not show any abnormal findings. Brain MRI and EEG were normal. His memory improved and returned to a normal baseline within 24 h from the onset. After the exclusion of potential causes and the patient returned to a normal state of memory, the diagnosis of transient global amnesia was made. At the follow‐up visit, the patient was in a state of normal function without a recurrence of memory impairment. Here, we presented this interesting case of transient global amnesia. TGA is a diagnosis of exclusion and is essential to keep in mind when evaluating a patient with acute onset of short‐term memory impairment, especially when etiological investigations reveal no potential cause.

Keywords

• anterograde amnesia
• repetitive questioning
• transient global amnesia