Dementia

Dementia

This describes a group of symptoms affecting thinking, memory and social abilities severely enough to interfere with daily functioning. Dementia isn't a specific disease.

Types of dementia:

·         Alzheimer's disease. In people age 65 and older, Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia. Certain genetic factors might make it more likely that people will develop Alzheimer's.

·         Vascular dementia.  This occurs as a result of damage to the vessels that supply blood to the brain. Blood vessel problems can be caused by stroke or other blood vessel conditions. This is the second most common type of dementia.

·         Lewy body dementia. These are the abnormal clumps of protein found in the Lewy body dementia, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease people brains. This is one of the more common types of progressive dementia.

·         Frontotemporal dementia. This is a group of diseases characterized by the breakdown (degeneration) of nerve cells in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, the areas generally associated with personality, behavior and language.

·         Mixed dementia.  Combination of Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia and Lewy body dementia of people 80 and older.

• Huntington's disease. This disease causes certain nerve cells in your brain and spinal cord to waste away, caused by a genetic mutation.
• Traumatic brain injury. This is caused by repetitive head trauma, such as experienced by boxers, football players or soldiers.

Symptoms:

• Memory loss
• Difficulty communicating or finding words
• Difficulty reasoning or problem-solving
• Difficulty handling complex tasks
• Difficulty with planning and organizing
• Difficulty with coordination and motor functions
• Confusion and disorientation
• Personality changes
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Inappropriate behavior
• Paranoia
• Agitation
• Hallucinations

Causes: which can occur in several areas of the brain, which damage the nerve cells in the brain. Dementia affects people differently, depending on the area of the brain affected.

Risk factors:

·         Age

·         Family history

·         Down syndrome

·         Mild cognitive impairment

Complications:

·         Pneumonia. Difficulty swallowing increases the risk of choking or aspirating food into the lungs, which can block breathing and cause pneumonia.

·         Inadequate nutrition. Many people with dementia stop or reduce their intake of nutrients eventually. Ultimately, they may be unable to chew and swallow.

·         Inability to perform self-care tasks.  Dressing, using the toilet independently, bathing, brushing of teeth or hair and taking medications accurately.

·         Personal safety challenges. Some day-to-day situations can present safety issues for people with dementia, including driving, cooking and walking alone.

·         Death. Late-stage dementia results in coma and death, often from infection.

Prevention:

·         Keep your mind active

·          Be physically and socially active

·          Quit smoking

·         Get enough vitamin

·         Lower your blood pressure

·         Maintain a healthy diet

Diagnosis:

• Cognitive and neuropsychological tests: A number of tests measure thinking skills such as memory, orientation, reasoning and judgment, language skills, and attention.
• Neurological evaluation: Doctors evaluate your memory, language, visual perception, attention, problem-solving, movement, senses, balance, reflexes and other areas.
• Brain scans

·         CT or MRI

·         PET scans. These can show patterns of brain activity and if the amyloid protein, a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, has been deposited in the brain.

·         Laboratory tests: Simple blood tests can detect physical problems that can affect brain function, such as vitamin B-12 deficiency or an underactive thyroid gland.

·         Psychiatric evaluation: A mental health professional can determine whether depression or another mental health condition is contributing to your symptoms.

Treatment:

·         Cholinesterase inhibitors.  Donepezil, rivastigmine and galantamine medications work by boosting levels of a chemical messenger involved in memory and judgment.

·         Memantine.       This medication works by regulating the activity of glutamate, in some cases, memantine is prescribed with a cholinesterase inhibitor.

• Non drug therapies:
• Occupational therapy. An occupational therapist can show you how to make your home safer and teach coping behaviors. The purpose of this therapy is to prevent the accidents, such as falls; manage behavior; and prepare you for the dementia progression.

·         Modifying the environment. Monitoring systems can alert you if the person with dementia wanders.   Knives and car keys hide that can threaten safety.

·         Modifying tasks. Break tasks into easier steps and focus on success, not failure.

Dementia, cns, brain disorder, thinking, memory, social ability