Dementia is a progressive reduction in the person’s ability to think, remember, and make decisions which affects the ability to carry out daily tasks. Some dementia patients may also have difficulty with emotion management, and their personalities shift. Dementia is categorized into mild, moderate and severe depending on the extent of impairment of the affected individual’s daily activities.
Dementia is common in the elderly; 10 percent of individuals between the ages of 65 and 74 have dementia, and 25 percent of those between 75 and 84 have it, as well as one-third of people aged 85 and older. A lot of people attain their old age and even centenarians and do not have dementia at all. Dementia is not a single disease but a group of illnesses that affects the brain; the most common type is Alzheimer's.
Age-related hearing loss is a frequent ailment that affects the elderly. It generally begins with difficulty hearing what others say, particularly in noisy surroundings. Symptoms can appear gradually and are difficult to detect.
Hearing aid use was also linked to fewer memory and cognitive difficulties, independent of dementia.
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Dementia?
Dementia occurs when formerly healthy neurons in the brain are damaged, unable to connect with other neurons, and ultimately die. Neuron loss is a natural process of aging yet dementia patients lose far more neurons than is typical in the aging population. Symptoms can vary depending on the type of dementia but often include:
Memory impairment, decision making impairment, and confusion.
Problems in speaking, comprehending, and expressing.
Lack of direction and being disoriented in familiar places.
Problems in handling money and bill payments.
Repeating questions.
Applying the words that are quite rare or not often used to refer to familiar objects.
Slowing down in the time it takes to do everyday activities.
Feeling that one has nothing to look forward to.
Visual or auditory hallucinations; paranoid or strange delusions.
Acting impulsively.
Lack of empathy.
Coordination and postural issues.
It also means that individuals with ID/DD may develop dementia, and thus, one needs to track their performance over the course of time.
What Causes Dementia?
Dementia is a condition that is characterized by the alteration of certain parts of the brain that leads to the dysfunction of the neurons and the connections between them. It has been established that different types of dementia are associated with particular changes in the brain, and the causes of these changes in some people but not others are still unknown. There have been reports of rare genetic variants in a few cases. For this reason, healthy lifestyle might be beneficial in preventing dementia, although there are no proven ways to prevent the onset of the disease.
What Are the Different Types of Dementia?
Dementia comprises several related diseases that cause progressive and irreversible neuronal and cerebral dysfunction. At the moment, none of the dementia subtypes has a cure and therefore are considered life-long conditions. The primary types include:
Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia among the elderly, and it is connected with the accumulation of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles.
Frontotemporal Dementia
This type of dementia is particularly uncommon and is found in people who are under the age of 60; it is associated with abnormal amounts or forms of tau and TDP-43 proteins.
Lewy Body Dementia
Lewy body dementia entails the accumulation of a protein called alpha-synuclein into spherical structures referred to as Lewy bodies.
Vascular Dementia
This form occurs when conditions lead to breakdown of blood vessels in the brain and hence, inadequate supply of blood and oxygen.
Mixed Dementia
A lot of people display neurophysiological alterations that are characteristic of multiple forms of dementia. For instance, mixed dementia comprises features of Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia.
How Is Dementia Diagnosed?
The process of diagnosing dementia is a process of recognizing the cause of cognitive impairment and excluding other conditions that can be treated. The diagnostic process includes:
Medical and Family History
As part of the assessment, the clinician reviews the patient’s medical and family history to identify factors associated with dementia. Concerning symptoms, questions include the time when the symptoms started, any changes in behaviour and personality, and medications that can affect symptoms.
Physical and Laboratory Tests
A physical exam looks at such features as blood pressure and laboratory tests looks at the concentration of some chemicals, hormones and vitamins in the blood and other body fluids.
Cognitive and Neurological Tests
These tests check memory, problem solving, language and maths comprehension, balance, sensory input, and reflexes to determine mental and physical health.
Brain Scans
Imaging can reveal the strokes, tumours and other problems that lead to dementia. Common scans include:
CT Scans: Roentgen rays for the formation of brain and organ pictures.
MRI Scans: Magnetic fields and radio waves forming pictures of body structures.
PET Scans: Imaging of brain activity and particular substances by radiation.
Psychiatric Evaluation
When such changes are present in a patient, a psychiatric evaluation is useful to establish whether conditions such as depression are causing the symptoms.
Genetic Tests
Genetic tests are used for the detection of specific genetic causes of dementia and genetic factors that predispose individuals to dementia. It is recommended that genetic counseling be completed before and after the test.
Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) Tests
A spinal tap done to obtain CSF helps to determine the levels of protein in it, useful in diagnosing Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia.
Blood Tests
Certain blood tests test for the presence of beta-amyloid proteins which are related to Alzheimer’s disease. These tests, although do not by themselves help diagnose dementia, are useful in conjunction with other diagnostic procedures.
Who Can Diagnose Dementia?
A primary care physician should be consulted first if you are suffering cognitive, mobility, or behavioral abnormalities. The common clinicians involved in dementia diagnosis include neurologists, geriatric psychiatrists, neuropsychologists, and geriatricians. If a local specialist cannot be identified, the neurology department of the medical school or a clinic dedicated to dementia can conduct the evaluation.
It is important to identify the onset of dementia symptoms since some of the causes can be cured. Most of the time, there is no cure, but early diagnosis is helpful in the management of the condition and in the planning of the future. During the initial onset of dementia, people are still able to carry out their daily tasks with new adaptations for change as the disease advances.
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