Pune, November 23, 2022: Dementia is considered a serious condition, especially considering the aging of the population. Its effects affect a person’s behavior and functional capacity and have serious implications for how well they can interact with other individuals. Dementia is not identified as a disease, but rather is a generic term presented for a variety of diseases caused by cognitive decline that affects memory, thinking, and communication skills. Alzheimer’s disease is the most relevant example of dementia.
Symptoms
Some of the common symptoms are:
Memory loss
Difficulty thinking and understanding.
Mental confusion
Inability to complete basic cognitive tasks.
Difficulty performing daily tasks.
Causes and risk factors
Biologically, dementia is caused by damage or loss of nerve cells and connections in the brain. The interfering damage prevents brain cells from communicating with each other, as a result, cognitive functions such as thinking, behavior, and feelings can be affected when brain cells are unable to interact properly.
Although the individual can adjust some of the risk factors for dementia, some remain out of their control.
Risk factors that cannot be controlled by the individual include:
Age: The brain’s vulnerability to brain cell damage increases as people age.
Family: Dementia within the family’s medical history significantly increases the likelihood that someone will develop the disease.
mental health disorders
Risk factors within the control of the individual include:
unhealthy diet
Low consistency of exercise and physical activity.
alcohol consumption
Diabetes
Of smoking
types of dementia
1. Alzheimer’s: With the progression of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease is the most prevalent. Forgetting names and recent events, neglecting personal hygiene, changing moods or attitudes, becoming disoriented, and other symptoms are some of the early signs of Alzheimer’s disease. Confusion and mood swings are more likely to occur as the disease worsens. They have difficulty speaking and walking.
2. Vascular dementia – is the result of insufficient blood supply to the brain. The most common cause of vascular dementia is stroke. Early warning symptoms may include confusion and disorientation. In some cases, vascular dementia can occasionally cause hallucinations.
3. Parkinson’s disease dementia: Dementia is a common complication of Parkinson’s disease. Problems with logic and judgment are early indicators of this type of dementia. As the disease worsens, many people begin to feel melancholic or paranoid. Others have difficulty communicating and may lose the meaning of a sentence or lose their place in a discussion.
4. Dementia with Lewy bodies: it is caused by the accumulation of proteins in nerve cells. Memory loss and disorientation result from disruption of these chemical messengers in the brain. In addition, they begin to experience visual hallucinations, and people with this form of dementia also have difficulty falling asleep at night or wake up abruptly in the middle of the day. Also, some may pass out, get lost, or get confused as well.
5. Mixed dementia: When a person has more than one type of dementia, it is called mixed dementia. Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia are the most typical combinations of mixed dementia, which is quite common. Different people may experience different symptoms of mixed dementia. While some people first notice changes in mood and behavior, others first experience memory loss and disorientation. As the condition progresses, most people with mixed dementia will have trouble speaking and moving.
Treatment
Fundamentally, there is no direct treatment for dementia. The medicine can temporarily control certain symptoms and give patients a minimal level of care by raising levels of a chemical messenger critical to memory and judgment. However, reliable and long-lasting treatment for dementia emphasizes the need to adopt lifestyle practices that reduce the risk of dementia.
Prevention
Engaging in various activities that improve physical and mental strength makes a substantial contribution to maintaining a healthy cognitive brain and delaying the onset of dementia symptoms.
mental activities
When the brain is kept active, it is believed that both the number of healthy brain cells and the connections between them increase. It is attested that those who are mentally active are less prone to cognitive impairment. As a result, people who show symptoms of dementia and are susceptible to its risk factors are routinely recommended brain training exercises such as games and puzzles.
Physical activity
Exercise increases blood flow to the brain, which improves learning and memory. Additionally, it has been shown to increase mental well-being, reduce stress, and increase focus. These benefits are essential as people with dementia often experience a greater amount of stress than average people. The benefits of physical activities may result from increases in blood flow to the brain, which raises oxygen levels there and helps the brain fend off the degenerative effects of Alzheimer’s disease. According to a growing body of evidence, physical activity can help slow or even stop the development of dementia in people who already have other risk factors for dementia (such as a family history).
If dementia risk indicators are present in a person, it is imperative to seek expert assistance and visit the local hospital to ensure a good outcome and general standards of well-being.
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