Dementia is the loss of cognitive functioning, thinking, remembering, and reasoning to such an extent that it interferes with daily activities. Dementia is not a single disease. It’s an overall term used to describe a collection of symptoms that one may experience if they are living with a variety of diseases. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia in older adults, but there are other causes of dementia. It is estimated that about 50% of people aged 85 and above have dementia.
SYMPTOMS
Cognitive changes
- confusion and disorientation
- problems communicating or finding words
- memory loss
- problems with spatial and visual abilities, such as getting lost while driving
- poor coordination and control of movements
- trouble performing complex tasks
- trouble with planning and organizing
- problems with reasoning or problem solving
Psychological changes
- depression
- anxiety
- personality changes
- agitation
- Inappropriate behaviour
- hallucinations
- Paranoia
CAUSES
Dementia is caused by damage to your brain. Dementia affects your brain’s nerve cells, which destroys your brain’s ability to communicate with its various areas. Dementia is also caused by blocked blood flow to your brain, depriving of needed oxygen and nutrients. This leads to the dying of the brain tissue
The damage to your brain leads to different symptoms depending on the part of the brain affected. Othe dementias are due to other medical conditions that also affect your brain. Not getting enough certain vitamins or minerals can also causes dementia symptoms.
Progressive dementias
Dementias that are progressive get worse over time and these include:
- Alzheimer’s disease: This is the most common cause of dementia. While several genes are involved in Alzheimer’s disease, one important gene that increases risk is apolipoprotein E4 (APOE). People with Alzheimer’s disease have plaques and tangles in their brain. Plaques are clumps of a protein called beta-amyloid. Tangles are fibrous masses made up of tau protein. Experts believe that these clumps damage healthy brain cells and the fibers connecting them.
- Lewy body dementia: Lewy bodies are balloon like clumps of protein. Common symptoms include acting out dreams in sleep and seeing things that aren’t there known as visual hallucinations. Other symptoms include problems with focus and attention, tremors, stiffness and uncoordinated or slow movement.
- Mixed dementia: People with mixed dementia can have Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia and Lewy body dementia.
- Vascular dementia: This caused by damage to the vessels that supply blood to the brain. Blood vessel problems can cause stroke or affect the brain by damaging the fibers in the white matter of the brain. Symptoms of vascular dementia include slowed thinking, problem-solving and loss of focus and organization.
- Frontotemporal dementia: This is a group of diseases characterized by the breakdown of nerve cells and their connections in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. These areas are associated with personality, behavior and language. The symptoms affect behavior, thinking, personality, judgement, movement and language.
OTHER DISORDERS LINKED TO DEMENTIA
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI): This is caused by repetitive head trauma. Dementia symptoms depend on the part of the brain that’s injured. Symptoms of TBI may include memory loss, explosiveness, slow movement, tremors, stiffness, depression and impaired speech. Symptoms might not appear until years after
- Huntington’s disease: This condition is caused by a genetic change. It can cause certain nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord to waste away. The symptoms usually appear around age 30 or 40.
- Parkinson’s disease: Most of the people with Parkinson’s disease end up developing dementia symptoms and when this happens, it’s known as Parkinson’s dementia.
- Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: This condition has no known causes but can be passed down from a parent. It also may be caused by exposure to diseased brain or nervous system tissue such as from a cornea transplant. Symptoms usually appear after 60 years.
DEMENTIA-LIKE CONDITIONS THAT CAN BE REVERSED (WITH TREATMENT)
Some causes of dementia-like symptoms can be reversed with treatment, and they include:
- Metabolic or endocrine problems: People with thyroid problems and low blood sugar can develop dementia-like symptoms or other personality changes. This can also happen to people with too little or too much sodium or calcium, or problems absorbing vitamin B-12.
- Low levels of certain nutrients: Not getting enough nutrients or minerals in your diet can cause dementia symptoms.
- Brain tumors: Dementia can be result from damage caused by brain tumor.
- Infections and immune disorders: The side effects of the body’s attempt to fight off infections might cause dementia-like symptoms. Multiple Sclerosis and other conditions caused by the body’s immune system attacking nerve cells can cause dementia.
- Subdural bleeding: Bleeding between the surface of the brain and the covering over the brain can be common in older adults after a fall. Subdural bleeding can cause symptoms similar to those of dementia