Dementia
Dementia: Causes, Symptoms, Risk Factors, Prevention & Treatment
September 5, 2022
Medically Reviewed by Senior Consultant Psychiatrist, Dr. Tan Sheng Neng
MMED (Psych), MBBS, MCI, FAMSSeptember 5, 2022
Dementia is not a specific disease but rather a general term for a combination of symptoms that affect your memory, reasoning, and social abilities sufficiently enough to interfere with everyday life. Several conditions can cause dementia.
A typical symptom of dementia is memory loss. But, independently, it does not signify dementia. Rather, it is usually one of the first signs of the disorder.
Although Alzheimer’s disease is the prevailing cause of progressive dementia among older people, some dementia symptoms may be reversible depending on the aetiology.
Types and causes of dementia include:
- Lewy body dementia, which may occur with
- Vascular dementia
- Parkinson’s disease
- Mixed dementia
- Frontotemporal dementia
Who is affected by dementia?
Dementia affects 5% to 8% of all adults over 65, and the percentage increases for every five years after age 65. It is believed that up to half of the adults aged 85 and older have dementia.
Individuals aged 65 and older with Alzheimer’s condition are also at higher risk.
What are the symptoms and indicators of dementia?
Signs of dementia occur when formerly healthy neurons, or nerve cells, in the brain cease to function, lose associations with other brain cells, and/or die.
People lose neurons as they age, but patients with dementia lose significantly more. Dementia symptoms can vary and may include:
- Memory loss, lapses in judgment, and confusion
- Wandering aimlessly, being disoriented in a familiar place or setting
- Difficulty in speaking, interpreting, and expressing ideas, as well as reading and writing
- Having difficulty managing money wisely and paying debts
- Using unfamiliar terms to describe familiar objects
- Repetition of questions
- Taking longer to conduct routine everyday duties
- Experiencing hallucinations, delusions, or paranoia
- Loss of interest in daily activities or events
- Acting rashly
- Loss of balance and mobility difficulties
- Disregard for other people’s sentiments
Dementia Risk Factors
- Diabetes
- Hypertension or high blood pressure
- Age
- Hypercholesterolemia or high cholesterol levels
- Genetic history
- Stroke
- Parkinson’s disease
- Down syndrome
- Race and ethnicity
- Brain injury
Is it possible to prevent dementia?
Dementia cannot be prevented, but leading a healthy lifestyle may lower the risk factors for specific kinds of dementia.
Maintaining healthy blood sugar levels, normal blood pressure, and a healthy weight can lower the chances of dementia. Staying as healthy as possible can provide your brain with the oxygen and nourishment required to perform at its best.
- Follow a Mediterranean diet that includes whole grains, fruits, vegetables, fish and shellfish, nuts, olive oil, beans, and relatively small amounts of red meat.
- Quit smoking.
- Engage in at least 30 minutes of exercise on most days of the week.
- Maintain an active social life. Interact with others, discuss current events, and keep your mind, heart, and soul active.
- Maintain cerebral activity. Solve and play word games, puzzles, and other brain-engaging activities.
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Treatment for dementia
Since it is not yet possible to reverse brain cell loss, there is no cure for most kinds of dementia. Treatment, on the other hand, may aid in managing symptoms.
Some drugs may help in the treatment. There are three medications known as cholinesterase inhibitors that are approved for use:
- Donepezil (Aricept)
- Rivastigmine (Exelon)
- Galantamine (Reminyl)
Memantine (Namenda), an NMDA receptor antagonist, may also be used alone or in combination with a cholinesterase inhibitor. Cholinesterase inhibitors can also aid in managing Parkinson’s disease behavioural symptoms.
Conclusion
Dementia is the most common form of neurodegenerative condition and is
increasingly frequent as world population ages, and a leading cause of death. While dementia is not curable, symptoms that are caused by the condition may be reversible. Deficiencies of certain vitamins like omega-3 and vitamin B12 are known to cause symptoms of dementia, and through early diagnosis, timely and appropriate treatment can be administered to stop or impede the rate of decline caused by dementia.
Early diagnosis and detection gives individuals with dementia and their loved ones the opportunity to reprioritise their time together, bond and make better decisions.
