Dementia may be a broad term that refers to the deterioration of cognitive functioning. This includes problems with thinking, remembering, learning, judgment, reasoning, and language. Although a decline in many of those areas is a component of the aging process, an individual with dementia will have deterioration beyond what’s normal at their age.
That said, the longer you reside, the more likely it’ll be that you simply have some sort of dementia. In fact, up to 1/2 of all people over the age of 85 may have some type of dementia.
Dementia covers a large range of specific medical conditions including Alzheimer’s — which is that the most typical style of dementia — Lewy body dementia, vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia, and mixed dementia, which could be a combination of two or more forms of dementia.
Symptoms
The symptoms of dementia vary looking on the precise type and progression of that disease. Early on, symptoms are often minor, with a gradual onset. Due to this, dementia may go unnoticed by friends or family. As cognitive decline progresses, symptoms become more noticeable, and routine tasks like caring for yourself become tougher to perform, eventually resulting in a pause in daily living and independent functioning.
Some of the more common symptoms of dementia include:
- Forgetfulness
- Memory loss
- Mood changes
- Difficulty concentrating
- Problems with reasoning and judgment
- Confused about time and place
- Getting lost in familiar settings
- Forgetting the names of family and shut friends
- Difficulty completing familiar daily tasks
- Problems with language, difficulty finding the correct words
- Withdrawal from socializing
- Changes in executive functioning (difficulty winding up multiple steps or with planning)
Causes
There is no explanation for dementia. That said, all kinds of dementia stem from damage to the brain cells. Moreover, each kind of dementia is also related to different damage and different regions of the brain. In general, the damage to the brain cells interferes with their ability to speak with one another, which results in problems with behavior and thinking.
Symptoms of dementia may be caused by conditions like depression, B complex deficiency, thyroid disorders, Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, normal pressure hydrocephalus, or by taking certain medications. But unlike Alzheimer’s and other progressive brain diseases, these causes of dementia symptoms could also be reversible.
The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention says the strongest risk factor for dementia is increasing age. Many of the symptoms are common in people as they grow old, however, they are saying most cases of dementia affect people 65 years and older. Additionally, they cite case history, poor heart health, traumatic brain injury, and race/ethnicity as factors that increase the danger of dementia.
Types-
There are several kinds of dementia. the subsequent are the foremost common.
- Alzheimer’s Disease: This accounts for 60% to 80% of cases, could be a progressive nervous disorder that impacts memory, thought process, behavior, and therefore the ability to recollect newly learned information.
- Vascular Dementia: Vascular dementia happens as a result of inadequate blood flow to numerous regions of the brain. this sort of dementia changes thinking skills, especially following a stroke. Estimates put vascular dementia after Alzheimer’s because the second commonest variety of dementia, accounting for five to 100% of cases.
- Lewy Body Dementia: Lewy body dementia results from abnormal microscopic deposits that damage brain cells over time. This is that the third commonest sort of dementia after Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia. Symptoms include changes in thinking and reasoning, confusion, slowness, sleep disturbances, and more.
- Frontotemporal Dementia: This refers to a mix of disorders, are caused by progressive vegetative cell loss within the brain’s frontal or temporal lobes. Symptoms include a deterioration in behavior and personality and difficulty with language, both producing and comprehending.
- Mixed Dementia: This is a mix of two or more varieties of dementia, which is common among the elderly. Someone with Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia is an example of mixed dementia.
Diagnosis
Since dementia is an umbrella term that describes the decline in cognitive functioning, leading to different kinds of dementia, there’s nobody test to work out if someone has the condition. With that in mind, your doctor will conduct a radical physical exam that also includes an in-depth case history, laboratory test, and brain scans sort of a CT or MRI to work out if the symptoms you’re exhibiting are associated with dementia.
Depending on the doctor’s training, they’ll be able to conduct further evaluations to see the sort of dementia. Otherwise, they’ll have to refer you to a specialist like a neurologist who can make an accurate diagnosis.
Treatment
Treatment of dementia depends on the kind and underlying cause. Unfortunately, for several varieties of dementia, like Alzheimer’s, there’s no known treatment to prevent the progression of the disease. However, there are interventions your doctor can recommend, like medications that will temporarily decrease the severity of the symptoms, psychotherapy, and lifestyle changes.
