Dementia is a several diseases that affect the ability to perform daily activities by affecting cognitive function. Cognitive function includes the way a person remembers, reasoning, problem-solving, language and other thinking abilities. Dementia can cause a great degree of disability as it affects a person’s ability to perform daily life routines independently and at most times needing assistance from others. Currently more than 55 million people have dementia. Dementia can result from a variety of diseases that affect the brain. There are medicines that could help to treat dementia such as Exelon patch.
Dementia is a general term used to describe a condition of a person with impairment of cognitive function that is severe to the extent of interfering with their daily life. Dementia affects about one-third of the population aged 85 and above. It is worth noting that dementia is not part of a normal ageing process although statistically it shows most dementia patients are the elderly. In general, dementia is caused by damages to or changes in the brain. The main cause of dementia is the damage to or changes in the brain. The most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is caused by the abnormal build-up proteins of amyloid and tau. Amyloid build-up around the brain cells causes plaques whereas tau form “tangles” within the brain cells. Other causes of dementia include:
1) Vascular dementia. Dementia that occurs due to microscopic bleeding and blood vessel blockage in the brain such as those with hypertension, severe hardening of the arteries or small strokes.
2) Parkinson’s disease. Dementia that occurs about 10 years after Parkinson’s disease is diagnosed.
3) Dementia with Lewy bodies. Lewy bodies are tiny clumps of a protein known as alpha-synuclein that damages the way the brain works and eventually leads to death of brain cells. It is often associated with Parkinson’s disease.
4) Frontotemporal dementia. Also known as Pick’s disease, this dementia affects younger people between the ages 45 to 65 years old. It is caused by tau in the frontal and temporal lobes of the front and sides of the brain.
5) Severe head injury.
These are the most common causes of dementia. Rare causes include Huntington’s disease, multiple sclerosis, leukoencephalopathies, infections, progressive supranuclear palsy and corticobasal degeneration. Dementia could also be inherited but this is a rare case. Inherited dementia is often suspected when someone younger than 50 has dementia symptoms.
Due to the fact that dementia can be caused by many causes, the symptoms also vary greatly. However, the common symptoms such as short-term memory, difficulty concentrating, difficulty to perform familiar daily tasks, struggling to keep up with a conversation, lost track of time or place and mood changes. Symptoms usually start as mild ones but it does progress to becoming worse as time goes by.
You may wonder what are the first signs of having dementia. Many people will start with symptoms affecting their daily life. Most commonly are difficulties with memories. For example, a person may not recall recent events or may keep losing items such as their keys and glasses around the house. They also will start to have reduced concentration and increasing confusion. Sadly, the first sign itself often goes unnoticed as it gradually increases or often is taken lightly until it develops to become severe to the extent of losing ability to perform everyday tasks.
When a person experiences these symptoms in a mild manner, they might not be labelled with dementia immediately and the right term for these symptoms is “mild cognitive impairment” (MCI). People with MCI may or may not resort to dementia. Hence, dementia is not a natural part of the ageing process because MCI itself might actually stay the same and not get worse.
Currently, there is no cure for dementia. Treatments available aim to slow down the dementia progress and to improve symptoms. In general, treatment depends on the cause of dementia. Finding the cause of dementia is not easy as there is no one test that can directly determine the cause but doctors usually evaluate the dementia symptoms, laboratory test, brain imaging test and the characteristics of cognitive function disability to find the cause. Medications such as cholinesterase inhibitors like donepezil and NMDA receptor antagonists like memantine are prescribed by doctors. In case of vascular dementia, antihypertensive drugs are proven to be beneficial. Antidepressant may be prescribed in those with dementia and having depression symptoms.
Treatment of dementia is more than taking medication. This includes patients taking extra steps to maintain a healthy lifestyle consisting of practising good eating habits and being physically active. Patients with dementia should also take part in activities that help to improve their cognitive function such as having specific hobbies. It is best for patients with dementia to stay socially active by keeping in touch with people around them and engage in social activities. Regular medical check-up should be a must for patients.
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