Dementia

Numerous people get dementia as they age, which is a relatively common condition. It’s estimated that about half of people who are older than 85 years old have dementia worldwide.

Dementia

Dementia is a condition that describes the mental state of a person, and it’s not a specific disease by itself. The term dementia is used to describe a group of symptoms that affect memory, thinking, and cognitive and social abilities.

Dementia is generally defined as a regression on two or more of the following mental functions: memory, language, reasoning, coordination, behavior, and mood.

Causes and risk factors leading to dementia

Dementia essentially occurs due to damage in the nerve cells and their connection with the brain, and dementias are often grouped depending on what they have in common.

Progressive dementias

These are the conditions that worsen with time and can’t be reversed, and they include:

• Alzheimer’s disease, which is the most common dementia condition.
• Vascular dementia, which occurs due to damage in the vessels that supply the brain.
• Dementia that occurs due to problems in a certain type of protein in the brain that is called Lewy.
• Frontotemporal dementia.
• Mixed dementia.

Conditions that cause dementia

• Conditions that can’t be reversed, such as Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, brain injury, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (a brain disease that doesn’t have a clear reason).
• Conditions that cause dementia symptoms and can be managed, such as multiple sclerosis, high fever, thyroid gland problems, hypoglycemia, bleeding between the brain surface and its covering, fluid build-up in the brain cavities, dehydration, low levels of some nutrients (such as vitamins B1, B6, B12, vitamin E, and copper), side effects of certain medications, and brain tumors.

Risk factors of dementia

• Family history.
• Down syndrome.
• Unhealthy diet and not exercising.
• Some conditions, such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and high blood cholesterol.
• Heavy alcohol consumption.
• Air pollution.
• Depression.

Symptoms of dementia

Dementia symptoms differ depending on the cause, and some common symptoms are:

Cognitive changes

• Problems in thinking and reasoning.
• Memory loss.
• Problems in planning, organizing, coordinating, and performing complex tasks.
• Problems in finding words and communication.
• Confusion.
• Problems in time and special abilities.

Psychological changes

• Anxiety and depression.
• Agitation and personality change.
• Inappropriate behavior.
• Paranoia and being suspicious.

Complications of dementia

• Poor nutrition.
• Not being able to do anything without help.
• Self-harm and being exposed to injuries like falls.
• Having health conditions, such as pneumonia, heart attacks, kidney failure, stroke, and sepsis.

Diagnosis of dementia

• Neurocognitive testing.
• Psychological evaluation.
• Imaging tests.
• Lab tests.

Management of dementia

• The management depends on the cause; certain cases can be treated, yet others only their symptoms can be managed.
• The treatment includes medications in addition to other therapies to help the patient cope with their condition.

Prevention of dementia

The risk of having dementia can be reduced by:

• Always being mentally active.
• Following a healthy diet and exercising regularly.
• Avoiding smoking.
• Staying socially active and communicating with the surrounding environment.
• Managing other health conditions, if any.