Etiology Of Dementia

Dementia is profound and progressive loss of memory accompanied by problems in one or more other areas of cognition. People with dementia usually begins often encounter problems of short-term memory.

In particular, affected areas may be memory, attention, language and problem solving, although particularly in the later stages of the condition, dementia patient may be disoriented in time, not knowing what day, week, month or year it is, not knowing where they do not know who they are.

Symptoms of dementia can be classified as either reversible or irreversible depending on the etiology of the disease. Less than 10% of cases of dementia are reversible. These symptoms may progress rapidly in two to three years. Dementia is not a simple loss of memory, but the loss of the spirit of a whole person. A dozen different ailments, including cancer, stroke, major depression, hypothyroidism, vitamin A deficiency, Parkinson's disease, and AIDS, all lead to dementia.

The first symptoms of dementia often consist of changes in personality or behavior. Often dementia can be first evident during an episode of delirium. There is a higher prevalence of eventually developing dementia in individuals who live an acute episode of confusion during hospitalization.

Dementia can affect language, comprehension, motor skills, short-term memory, the ability to identify items of common usage, reaction time, personality traits and executive functioning. Even without signs of general intellectual decline, delusions are common in dementia (15-56% in incidence of Alzheimer's type, and 27-60% incidence rate of dementia multi- infarction). Often these take the form of delusions delusions monothematic as mirror self-misidentification.

Older people may also react with symptoms of dementia such as surgery, infections, sleep deprivation, irregular food intake, dehydration, loneliness, change of address or personal crises. This is called delirium, and many if not most patients with dementia were also raving about the above physiologial dementia, adding to the symptoms. The delusion can go away or improve significantly when treated with tender care, Food and improved sleeping habits, but this does not affect the changes in the brain. The subjects may also show signs of psychosis or depression. It is important to differentiate between delirium and dementia.

correct differential diagnosis between types of dementia, it will, at the very least, referral to a specialist, eg a geriatric internist, geriatric psychiatrist or neurologist. However, there are some short 5-15 minute tests have good reliability and can be used in the office or other place to evaluate cognitive status.

Except for the types listed above can be addressed, there is no cure dementia, although scientists put forward by making a type of drug that will slow the process.

Disclaimer - The information presented here should not be construed as medical advice. If you or someone you know suffers from dementia, please consult your doctor for the latest treatment options.