Silent, but preventable, perils

摘要

"I cant really explain it, but I have not been right in the head I for a few months. My mind is in a fog." That is how my 38-year-old patient with a history of high blood pressure and obesity described his symptoms. He had not experienced any of the symptoms of a 'mini-stroke, or transient ischaemic attack, which can result in temporary motor, sensory or speech deficits. Other than his high blood pressure and obesity, his physical and neurological examination showed nothing out of the ordinary. But something was clearly wrong: a standard test revealed a deficit in his cognitive function.