What is dementia?

Dementia is a loss of brain function that occurs with certain diseases. It affects memory, thinking, language, judgment, and behavior. Dementia is a serious cognitive disorder. Dementia is a non-specific illness syndrome in which affected areas of cognition may be memory, attention, language, and problem solving. It is normally required to be present for at least 6 months to be diagnosed.

DEMENTIA Causes

Most types of dementia are non-reversible (degenerative). Lewy body disease is a leading cause of dementia in elderly adults. People with this condition have abnormal protein structures in certain areas of the brain. Dementia also can be due to many small strokes. This is called vascular dementia.

Medical conditions leading to dementia:

Parkinson’s disease.

Multiple sclerosis.

Huntington’s disease

Pick’s  dieases.

Progressive supranuclear palsy.

Infections that can affect the brain, such as HIV/AIDS and LYME disease.

Dementia usually occurs in older age. It is rare in people under age 60. The risk for dementia increases as a person gets older. Some causes of dementia may be stopped or reversed if they are found soon enough, including brain tumors, changes in blood sugar, sodium, and calcium levels, low Vitamin B12 levels, normal pressure hydrocephalus, use of certain medications, including cimetadine and some cholesterol-lowering medications, chronic alcohol abuse.

Treatment for DEMENTIA

The goal of treatment is to control the symptoms of dementia. Treatment depends on the condition causing the dementia. Some people may need to stay in the hospital for a short time. Stopping or changing medications that make confusion worse may improve brain function. There is growing evidence that some kinds of mental exercises can help dementia.

Medications may be needed to control behavior problems caused by a loss of judgment, increased impulsivity, and confusion. Possible medications include:

Antipsychotics (haloperidol, risperdal, olanzapine).

Mood stabilizers (fluoxetine, imipramine, citalopram).

Serotonin-affecting drugs (trazodone, buspirone).

Stimulants (methylphenidate).

Certain drugs may be used to slow the rate at which symptoms worsen. The benefit from these drugs is often small, and patients and their families may not always notice much of a change.

Donepezil (Aricept), rivastigmine (Exelon), galantamine (Razadyne, formerly called Reminyl)

Memantine (Namenda). Psychotherapy or group therapy usually does not help because it may cause more confusion.