Dementia
Dementia is a general term for loss of memory, language, problem-solving, and other thinking abilities that are severe enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia. Many things can cause dementia. It happens when the parts of your brain used for learning, memory, decision making, and language are damaged or diseased.
Causes
Dementia is caused by damage to or loss of nerve cells and their connections in the brain. Depending on the area of the brain that’s damaged, dementia can affect people differently and cause different symptoms. The damage to the brain cells interferes with the ability of brain cells to communicate with each other. When brain cells cannot communicate normally, thinking, behavior, and feelings can be affected and the brain cannot carry out its functions normally.
Types
Types of dementia include – Alzheimer’s disease (This disorder causes the brain to shrink and brain cells to die), vascular dementia (This type of dementia is caused by damage to the vessels that supply blood to your brain), Lewy body dementia (Lewy bodies are abnormal balloon-like clumps of protein that have been found in the brain which is one of the more common types of progressive dementia), which may occur with Parkinson’s disease, frontotemporal dementia (This is characterized by the breakdown of nerve cells and their connections in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain), and mixed dementia.
Symptoms
Symptoms of dementia can vary widely from person to person. People with dementia have problems with memory, communication, reasoning, problem-solving and visual perception. Early symptoms of dementia include – Short-term memory problems, like forgetting events or information, repeating comments, misplacing things, and experiencing a change in mood, behavior, or interests.
Treatment
Most types of dementia can’t be cured, but there are ways to manage your symptoms as certain medications may help but several dementia symptoms and behavior problems might be treated initially using nondrug approaches. Occupational therapy and modifying the environment can make it easier for someone with dementia to focus and function.
Treatment at home
Researchers suggest that adopting multiple healthy lifestyle choices, including a healthy diet, not smoking, regular exercise, keeping blood vessels clear of cholesterol build-up, maintaining normal blood pressure, controlling blood sugar, staying at a healthy weight may decrease the risk of dementia.
When to see a doctor
See a doctor if you have memory problems or other dementia symptoms. Some treatable medical conditions can cause dementia symptoms, so it’s important to determine the cause. Many conditions are progressive, which means that the signs of dementia start out slowly and gradually get worse. If you or someone you know is experiencing memory difficulties or other changes in thinking skills, don’t ignore them. See a doctor soon to determine the cause.