WHAT IS DEMENTIA ?
When cognitive function declines to the point that it interferes a great deal with day-to-day activities, and other medical conditions have been ruled out, a diagnosis of dementia might be given. Different brain diseases can cause dementia. The most well known is Alzheimers disease. Other diseases that block the normal flow of blood in the brain can also cause dementia. What causes these diseases and how they progress is not well understood at this time. However, much research is being done to find treatments that can decrease the effects of these diseases on everyday functioning.
The term “dementia” describes a group of symptoms that are caused by changes in brain function. Dementia symptoms may include asking the same questions repeatedly; becoming lost in familiar places; being unable to follow directions; getting disoriented about time, people, and places; and neglecting personal safety, hygiene, and nutrition. People with dementia lose their abilities at different rates. Dementia is caused by many conditions. Some conditions that cause dementia can be reversed, and others cannot. The two most common forms of dementia in older people are Alzheimer’s disease and multi-infarct dementia (sometimes called vascular dementia). These types of dementia are irreversible, which means they cannot be cured. Reversible conditions with symptoms of dementia can be caused by a high fever, dehydration, vitamin deficiency and poor nutrition, bad reactions to medicines, problems with the thyroid gland, or a minor head injury. Medical conditions like these can be serious and sh
Dementia is the term given to describe people who have a condition such as Alzheimer’s disease that is causing progressive damage to brain cells. This damage leads to a range of symptoms including memory loss, and difficulties in thinking, orientation, comprehension, calculation, learning capacity, language, and judgement. There are over a 100 forms of dementia. After Alzheimer’s disease, the most common causes are vascular dementia and dementia with Lewy Bodies. For further information on Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, and a confidential helpline, you may wish to contact the Alzheimer’s Society. For additional information and support for carers of people with the rarer dementias (including Pick’s disease and Fronto-temporal lobe dementia) you might like to contact the Picks Disease Support Group.
Dementia is an umbrella term used to describe the loss of cognitive or intellectual function. Many conditions can cause dementia. Dementia related to depression, drug interactions, and thyroid and other problems may be reversible if detected early. That’s one of the reasons it’s important to obtain a professional assessment, so that the actual cause can be identified and proper care provided. Alzheimer’s Disease represents nearly 70% of the Dementias in 2006. Several other diseases also cause dementia, such as Parkinson’s, Frontal Lobe Dementia, Lewy Body Disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob, Huntington’s, and Multi-Infarct or vascular disease, caused by multiple strokes in the brain.
