Organic Brain Syndrome

Organic Brain Syndrome

Organic brain syndrome, is a term used for altered mental function due to a physical disorder or damage to the brain..

Causes of Organic Brain Syndrome:

  • Brain injury caused by trauma
  • Bleeding into the brain
  • Bleeding into the space around the brain
  • Blood clot inside the skull causing pressure on brain
  • Concussion
  • Low oxygen in the body due to breathing disorders
  • Abnormal heart rhythm causing decreased blood flow to the brain
  • Brain injury due to high blood pressure
  • Many small strokes of the brain
  • Stroke
  • Decresaed blood supply to the brain (Transient ischemic attack)
  • Alzheimer’s disease                                                Dementia
  • Brain disease
  • Hormonal disorders such as hypothyroidism
  • Metabolic disorders such as low sodium or potassium levels
  • Drug and alcohol use
  • Vitamin deficiencies (B1, B12, Folic Acid)
  • Withdrawal from drugs
  • Severe systemic infections
  • infection of the brain
  • Blood poisoning
  • Extensive cancer
  • Tumor of the brain
  • End stage Kidney disease
  • Severe Liver disease
Organic

Symptoms:

  • Agitation
  • Confusion
  • Long-term loss of brain function (dementia)
  • Severe, short-term loss of brain function (delirium)
  • Sudden behavior change
  • Sudden personality change
  • Hallucinations
  • Abnormal or psychotic behavior
  • Epilepsy

Treatment:

Treatment depends on the disorder. The disorder causing the symptoms have to be identified and properly treated. This may involve CT / MRI brain scans, blood tests to rule out hormonal and metabolic causes, other tests to rule out infections, cancers etc where requited. 

Medication can help reduce aggressive behaviors and also improve some of the deficits that are caused by the brain damage.