Forgetfulness: Symptoms

What other symptoms might occur with forgetfulness?

Forgetfulness may accompany other symptoms that vary depending on the underlying disease, disorder or condition. Generally, forgetfulness can be related to aging, head trauma, or other conditions or disorders.

Symptoms of forgetfulness that may occur along with aging

Forgetfulness may accompany other symptoms related to aging including:

• Changes in mood, personality or behavior
• Difficulty speaking
• Difficulty understanding
• Difficulty with skills like calculations

Common symptoms that may occur along with forgetfulness related to trauma

Forgetfulness may accompany symptoms related to head trauma including:

• Abrupt changes in personality, such as anger or irritability, without an apparent cause
• Bone fractures or deformity, especially of the skull or face
• Clear or blood-tinged fluid coming from the mouth, ears or nose
• Confusion; drowsiness; clumsiness; memory loss; lethargy; or trouble speaking, seeing or hearing
• Difficulty breathing or not breathing
• Loss of control over bodily functions
• Pupils that are different sizes, or pupils that do not change when exposed to light and dark
• Seizure or unexplained shaking or convulsions
• Severe headache
• Unconsciousness and coma
• Vomiting
• Weakness (loss of strength) or paralysis

Other symptoms that may occur along with forgetfulness

Forgetfulness may accompany other symptoms including:

• Difficulty speaking
• Fatigue
• Muscle weakness
• Pale or yellow skin
• Shortness of breath
• Tingling in the hands or feet
• Unexplained weight loss
• Vision loss or vision changes

Serious symptoms that might indicate a life-threatening condition

In some cases, forgetfulness may be a symptom of a life-threatening condition that should be immediately evaluated in an emergency setting. Seek immediate medical care (call 911) if you, or someone you are with, have any of these life-threatening symptoms including:

• Difficulty speaking
• Forgetfulness following head trauma
• Severe headache
• Sudden and obvious forgetfulness
• Sudden numbness or weakness on one side of the body
• Vision loss or vision changes