Dementia in itself is not a specific disease as many people think but rather it's a term that is used to describe more than one brain disorder with common signs and symptoms. The condition is commonly associated with old age but can also affect the young and people in the middle age due to illness or change of lifestyle. Signs and symptoms that is associated with dementia include; memory loss, inability to work, communicate, think and loss of cognitive skills.
The symptoms of dementia develop when the brain is impaired by various diseases, including Alzheimer's disease which accounts for 70 to 80 percent of the cases and also damage caused by certain small strokes. There are approximately 800000 people with this disease in the UK.
Damage to brain cells causes dementia. It affects the ability of cells to communicate with each other. When brain cells fail to communicate normally it affects behavior, feelings and thinking of a person.
So how do you tell someone has dementia from its onset? Dementia is described in a series of stages although its highly advisable to take note of the early stages in order to arrest the condition before it progresses to depression. Early signs that may suggest dementia include; irritability, partial loss of memory/ forgetful , mood swings and difficulties to perform basic chores such as self-care, cooking, washing, driving just to mention a few example. If the condition is not arrested early enough it can progress to severe dementia where the patient can't recognize people once known to him and objects. The muscles become rigid leaving the patient immobile and unable to communicate clearly.
Dementias are of different types depending upon the cell damage in different parts of brain. Like the most common dementia named Alzheimer is caused due to the damage in region of brain called hippocampus. It is caused due to the high level of proteins outside and inside of brain cells that makes hard for cells to communicate with each other and remain healthy. That is why memory loss is the first symptom of Alzheimer.
The major causes of this disease are firstly, Alzheimer's disease where the brain structure changes ultimately leading to the death of the brain cells. Secondly, Vascular dementia where the oxygen supply to the brain breaks down and the brain cells die. Thirdly, Dementia with Lewy bodies that causes degeneration of brain tissue leading to hallucinations and disorientation. Fourthly, Fronto-temporal dementia where the front part of the brain is damaged causing changes in the behavior of the person.
There is no definite test to determine if a person has dementia. Doctors can however diagnose different types of dementias including Alzheimer through physical examination, change in mental abilities, laboratory tests etc. Doctors can determine if a person has dementia with certainty but it's harder to determine the type of dementia as the symptoms of different dementia overlaps. In most of the cases, doctors diagnosis the dementia but fails to specify its type. In such cases the person should contact to psychologist or neurologist.
There are 7 stages involved in this disease. The first stage has no cognitive impairment with no memory problems. The second stage involves very mild cognitive decline where there are memory lapses. The third stage involves mild cognitive decline causing concentration problems and decline in the ability to plan and organize things. The fourth stage is a moderate cognitive decline with impaired ability to perform. The fifth stage is a moderately severe cognitive decline with immense gaps in memory. The sixth stage is a severe cognitive decline worsening the memory difficulties. The last stage is a very severe cognitive decline where the individual completely loses the ability to respond to the environment.
As we have already seen dementia is a condition that affects the mind and may be attributed to old age, illness or change of lifestyle. The condition can be contained if the cause is identified and treated at an early stage; however this may not be possible if the cause is related to old age.
The symptoms of dementia develop when the brain is impaired by various diseases, including Alzheimer's disease which accounts for 70 to 80 percent of the cases and also damage caused by certain small strokes. There are approximately 800000 people with this disease in the UK.
Damage to brain cells causes dementia. It affects the ability of cells to communicate with each other. When brain cells fail to communicate normally it affects behavior, feelings and thinking of a person.
So how do you tell someone has dementia from its onset? Dementia is described in a series of stages although its highly advisable to take note of the early stages in order to arrest the condition before it progresses to depression. Early signs that may suggest dementia include; irritability, partial loss of memory/ forgetful , mood swings and difficulties to perform basic chores such as self-care, cooking, washing, driving just to mention a few example. If the condition is not arrested early enough it can progress to severe dementia where the patient can't recognize people once known to him and objects. The muscles become rigid leaving the patient immobile and unable to communicate clearly.
Dementias are of different types depending upon the cell damage in different parts of brain. Like the most common dementia named Alzheimer is caused due to the damage in region of brain called hippocampus. It is caused due to the high level of proteins outside and inside of brain cells that makes hard for cells to communicate with each other and remain healthy. That is why memory loss is the first symptom of Alzheimer.
The major causes of this disease are firstly, Alzheimer's disease where the brain structure changes ultimately leading to the death of the brain cells. Secondly, Vascular dementia where the oxygen supply to the brain breaks down and the brain cells die. Thirdly, Dementia with Lewy bodies that causes degeneration of brain tissue leading to hallucinations and disorientation. Fourthly, Fronto-temporal dementia where the front part of the brain is damaged causing changes in the behavior of the person.
There is no definite test to determine if a person has dementia. Doctors can however diagnose different types of dementias including Alzheimer through physical examination, change in mental abilities, laboratory tests etc. Doctors can determine if a person has dementia with certainty but it's harder to determine the type of dementia as the symptoms of different dementia overlaps. In most of the cases, doctors diagnosis the dementia but fails to specify its type. In such cases the person should contact to psychologist or neurologist.
There are 7 stages involved in this disease. The first stage has no cognitive impairment with no memory problems. The second stage involves very mild cognitive decline where there are memory lapses. The third stage involves mild cognitive decline causing concentration problems and decline in the ability to plan and organize things. The fourth stage is a moderate cognitive decline with impaired ability to perform. The fifth stage is a moderately severe cognitive decline with immense gaps in memory. The sixth stage is a severe cognitive decline worsening the memory difficulties. The last stage is a very severe cognitive decline where the individual completely loses the ability to respond to the environment.
As we have already seen dementia is a condition that affects the mind and may be attributed to old age, illness or change of lifestyle. The condition can be contained if the cause is identified and treated at an early stage; however this may not be possible if the cause is related to old age.
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If you are looking for information on the stages of dementia, then please visit stagesofdementia.org. It is an excellent resource for people wanting a brief introduction to the illness. It also has useful information regarding what it is.
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