What is dementia?
Dementia is the gradual loss of cognitive functions due to brain damage. This disease causes inability to perform activities of daily living as it affects memory, language (aphasia), attention, visual skills, praxias and executive functions such as problem solving or inhibition of responses. As the disease progresses, loss of orientation and loss of identity may be observed.
Prognosis of the disease
Dementia is a serious pathology, since it affects brain cells. Depending on the patient’s condition, its symptoms can be treated and even some of its causes can be combated. However, when these cells have been destroyed, it is not possible to replace them, so the prognosis of the pathology will be worse.
It is always important to see a specialist as soon as possible if you suspect that a family member may have dementia, it will be much easier to make a diagnosis and treat some of its causes.
Symptoms of dementia
The main symptom of dementia is memory loss, although it may involve other symptoms that may appear over time or all at once. These include:
– Recent memory loss: it is a recurring symptom that people with dementia forget things, although they never remember them again. It is possible that, for example, a person suffering from this pathology may cook and forget to serve the dish, or even forget that he or she has prepared it.
– Difficulty performing familiar tasks: simple tasks such as getting dressed can be a problem for a patient with dementia, as they forget that they have already done this task. Tying shoes or putting certain foods in the refrigerator can also be easy habits to forget.
– Language problems: forgetting simple words or using them in the wrong way is common in people with dementia. Communication can become complicated.
– Confusion of time and place: they may forget how they got to a certain place, how to get home, or they may get lost on their own street.
– Being distracted: it is true that everyone can be distracted, but people with dementia do it often and repeatedly.
– Problems with abstract thinking: forgetting what numbers are and how they are used can be a symptom of dementia.
– Placing objects in the wrong places: putting an iron on the refrigerator or a clock on the salt shaker, for example, are also habits that indicate that the person may have dementia.
– Personality changes: these patients tend to be irritable, suspicious, fearful or depressed because of the disease.
– Changes in mood: they have abrupt mood swings, they may go from being calm to crying inconsolably in a few minutes.
– Loss of initiative: they become passive, they may not want to go to certain places or see other people.
It is important to make an early diagnosis of dementia to combat some of its causes.
Medical tests for dementia
To diagnose dementia, the specialist will perform a physical examination of the patient and review his or her symptoms. He may also perform complementary tests to find out if the pathology is caused by another disease and thus assess their condition and proceed to the most appropriate treatment.
If you suspect that a family member may have dementia, it is essential to see a specialist as soon as possible, since it will be much easier to assess the situation and even combat some of its symptoms.
What are the causes of dementia?
It is a pathology caused by damage to brain cells and other diseases such as Alzheimer’s, stroke, Huntington’s disease, multiple sclerosis, infections such as HIV, syphilis and Lyme disease, Parkinson’s, Pick’s disease and progressive supranuclear palsy.
Some of the causes that can be stopped or reversed are brain injuries and tumors, alcohol abuse over a long period of time, change in blood sugar and sodium levels, low vitamin B12 levels, normotensive hydrocephalus, use of certain medications, and infections of the brain.
Can it be prevented?
There is no specific prevention to avoid suffering dementia, although if the patient has suffered a head injury or brain tumor, it is important to see a specialist, in addition to taking precautions to avoid additional trauma or contusions. On the other hand, if the patient is at risk of suffering a cardiovascular accident, it is also important that the specialist assess the patient’s condition.
Treatments for dementia
Some of the causes of dementia can be treated, although once brain cells have been destroyed they cannot be replaced. Treatment may slow or stop the damage to brain cells, but it will always depend on the individual case and the patient’s condition.
When the cause cannot be treated, the option is to help the person in the development of daily activities and in the reduction of symptoms. Even some medications can help slow the progression of dementia, although it will always be the specialist who will indicate the treatment according to each particular case.
Medications for dementia
There are several drugs that can help alleviate the symptoms or slow the progression of dementia, although they will not fight it. As specified above, it will always be under the indication of a specialist.
Which specialist treats him/her?
It will mainly be specialists in Psychiatry or Neurology who will diagnose and treat patients with dementia, since it is a pathology that affects brain cells.