Dementia

Dementia is a syndrome associated with decreased brain function, such as reduced memory, reduced ability to think, to understand things, to use judgment and to understand language, as well as a decrease in mental intelligence. This syndrome usually attacks people aged over 65 years.

Dementia
 People with dementia will usually suffer from depression, mood swings and behavior, difficulty socializing and hallucinations. Victims cannot live independently and need the support of others.

Remember that dementia is not always associated with all people who experience memory loss or impaired brain function. Check with your doctor to find out what the problem is.

Dementia cannot be cured, but early treatment can help alleviate and slow the progression of symptoms and prevent further complications.
Causes of dementia

Dementia is caused by lesions of nerve cells in the brain in certain parts, which reduce the ability to communicate with the nerves of the body and cause the appearance of symptoms depending on the area of ​​the brain that is affected.

There are various types of conditions in dementia cases. There are types of dementia that develop gradually and other conditions that resemble dementia due to certain reactions and can be suppressed.
Progressive dementia

Progressive dementia is a condition caused by lesions of certain nerve cells in the brain that can worsen over time. This condition usually cannot fully recover. Some types of progressive dementia include:

  • Alzheimer's disease. Is the most common cause of dementia. The cause is still unknown, but some genetic disorders can increase the risk of this disease. In the brain, plaque in the form of beta-amyloid protein groups, as well as fibrous tissue formed by protein tau.
  • Vascular dementia. Brain blood vessel disorders are the second cause of dementia. This condition can also cause strokes and other diseases related to arterial disorders.
  • Dementia with Lewy's body. Lewy's body is a lump of abnormal protein in the brain, which is also found in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
  • Frontotemporal dementia. A group of diseases characterized by degeneration of frontal and temporal brain cells, usually associated with behavioral, personality, and language skills.
  • Mixed dementia. Common experience in people over 80 for no apparent reason. Mixed dementia generally includes Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia and Lewy body dementia.
Conditions resemble dementia

There are other conditions that can cause dementia or cause symptoms similar to dementia. Most of these conditions cause temporary symptoms and can recover after treatment. However, several conditions cause persistent symptoms, such as Huntington's disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, Parkinson's disease and brain damage.

Other conditions that can cause temporary symptoms such as dementia that may heal with treatment, include:

  • Metabolic or endocrine disorders. Conditions such as thyroid gland abnormalities, hypoglycemia, sodium or calcium deficiency or excess, which prevent the body from absorbing vitamin B12 can trigger symptoms resembling dementia or behavior changes. .
  • Immune system disorders. This condition can cause fever or other side effects that can reduce the ability of the immune system to fight infection. Conditions like multiple sclerosis can also trigger dementia.
  • Medical reaction. Some interactions between drugs or vitamins can trigger dementia.
  • Nutritional deficiencies Conditions such as dehydration, vitamin deficiencies (especially B1, B6 and B12) or alcohol dependence can cause symptoms similar to dementia.
  • Poisoning. Triggered by exposure to lead, heavy metals, pesticides, drugs and alcohol.
  • Subdural hematoma. Blood accumulation in the space between the durameter layer and the arachnoid layer in the skull cavity, caused by injury or trauma to the head.
  • Anoxia (hypoxia). This condition occurs when the body's tissues do not get enough oxygen, for example in people with asthma, heart attacks, carbon monoxide poisoning, and so on.
  • Hydrocephalus at normal pressure. Caused by dilation of the ventricles in the brain, causing people with difficulty walking, urinating until memory loss.
  • Brain tumor. This rarely happens, but can be one of the triggers of dementia.

With regard to several other conditions that can trigger dementia, including recurrent trauma or brain damage, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
Risk Factors

Naturally, the factors that can increase the risk of dementia are divided into two, namely factors out of control and factors that can be controlled.

Risk factors for uncontrolled and irreversible dementia include age, family health history, and health conditions such as mild cognitive impairment and Down syndrome. Risk factors for dementia that can be controlled or prevented are smoking and alcohol consumption, depression, sleep apnea, diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol, hypertension, and atherosclerosis (fat accumulation in arterial walls).


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