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Dementia

Dementia is the progressive decline in cognitive function due to damage or disease in the brain beyond what might be expected from normal aging . People with dementia have significantly impaired intellectual functioning that interferes with normal activities and relationships. Dementia is not a disease itself, but rather a group of symptoms that are caused by various diseases or conditions. Particularly affected areas may be memory , attention , language and problem solving , although particularly in the later stages of the condition, affected persons may be disoriented in time (not knowing what day of the week, day of the month, what month or even what year it is) place (not knowing where they are) and person (not knowing who they are). Some of the diseases that can cause symptoms of dementia are Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementia, Huntington's disease, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Doctors have identified other conditions that can cause dementia or dementia-like symptoms including reactions to medications, metabolic problems and endocrine abnormalities, nutritional deficiencies, infections, poisoning, brain tumors, anoxia or hypoxia (conditions in which the brain's oxygen supply is either reduced or cut off entirely), and heart and lung problems.  Although it is common in very elderly individuals, dementia is not a normal part of the aging process.

Dementia is the loss - usually gradual - of mental abilities such as thinking, remembering and reasoning. Patients who have had a stroke are at increased risk for vascular dementia. Recently, vascular lesions have been thought to play a role in AD. In some cases, the dementia can be treated and cured because the cause is treatable. Examples of this include dementia caused by drugs or alcohol, or hormone or vitamin imbalances. They also lose their ability to solve problems and maintain emotional control, and they may experience personality changes and behavioral problems, such as agitation, delusions, and hallucinations. These very common problems are most often due to a much less serious condition involving slowing of mental processes with age. Medical professionals call this “benign senescent forgetfulness,” or “age-related memory loss. Although most of the people who develop dementia are over the age of 60, it's important to remember that dementia is not a normal part of growing old, and most older people never develop dementia.

Causes of Dementia

The common Causes of Dementia :

  • Diseases that affect blood vessels, such as stroke, or multi-infarct dementia, which is caused by multiple strokes in the brain
  • Toxic reactions like excessive alcohol or drug use.
  • Nutritional deficiencies like vitamin B12 and folate deficiency.
  • kidney, liver, and lung diseases can all lead to dementia.
  • Infections that affect the brain and spinal cord such as AIDS dementia complex and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
  • Alzheimer's disease , Huntington's disease , Pick's disease, dementia of aging and traumatic injuries to the brain are usually not amenable to treatment.
  • Either a single severe head injury or longer term smaller injuries, like in boxers.

Symptoms of Dementia

Some Symptoms of Dementia :

  • Progressive memory loss.
  • Impaired recognition (agnosia).
  • Decrease in problem-solving skills and judgment capability.
  • Problems learning new ideas or skills.
  • Altered sensation or perception.
  • Hallucinations and delusions.
  • Inability to concentrate.
  • Poor concentration.
  • Confusion severe.
  • Difficulty finding their way around, especially in new or unfamiliar surroundings .

Treatment of Dementia

  • Dementia generally gets worse with age but the development of symptoms can often be slowed with drugs or other treatments.
  • Those related to medication, which can be treated by altering the medication,
  • Those dementias related to vitamin or hormone deficiency , which can be treated with supplements,
  • Alzheimer's disease , Huntington's disease , Pick's disease, dementia of aging and traumatic injuries to the brain are usually not amenable to treatment.
  • Those related to head injury, hydrocephalus or tumour, which may be treatable with surgery,
  • Those related to infections, where treating the infection will normally cure the dementia.

 


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