DEMENTIA40, 41
Dementia is seen in 5% of population over the age of 65 and about 30% after the age of 80. Dementia represents, after cancer and cardiac vascular disorders, the third most common cause of death. It is defined as a condition of chronic and progressive loss of intellectual abilities that is severe enough to interfere with social or occupational functioning. Dementia refers to acquired global impairment of intellect, memory and personality (cognitive function) and is not a disease itself but rather a group of symptoms caused by the impact of diseased brain. It is usually chronic and progressive in nature and symptoms typically include problems with memory, speech and perception with disturbances of multiple higher cortical …show more content…
Primary causes of dementia manifest as irreversible memory loss and impaired thought processing.
Examples are Alzheimer's disease, Pick's disease, Vascular Dementia, Lewy-Body Dementia, Huntington's Disease, Parkinson's Disease
Secondary causes of dementia develop as a result of an underlying medical condition. Once treated, the symptoms generally ceases. Examples are Medications, Alcohol induced dementia and substance abuse, Vitamin deficiency, Infectious diseases: Whipple's disease, Syphilis or Cryptococcus, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, HIV infection etc., Metabolic Disorders, Pseudo dementia, Brain Tumors, Toxins, Normal-pressure hydrocephalus, Subdural hematoma ,Head injury.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) represents the most common form of dementia in the elderly. Estimated numbers of affected worldwide are said to be approximately 18 million (www.alzheimer.org)
ALZHEIMER'S …show more content…
Early symptoms of AD may be overlooked because they resemble signs of natural ageing. Older adults who begin to notice a persistent mild memory loss of recent events may have a condition called mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
Early-stage symptoms usually include short-term memory loss, loss of concentration, and temporary episodes of spatial disorientation, however, the patient can keep up with most activities of daily life. In the middle stage, which typically begins two to three years after onset, the person begins to lose awareness of his or her cognitive deficits. Memory lapses are more frequent and the patient begins to have more severe problems with language and at this point problems caused by loss of cognitive functioning are impossible to ignore. The middle stage of AD is the point at which the behavioural and psychiatric symptoms like agitation, wandering, temper outbursts, depression, and disorientation appear. End-stage Alzheimer's disease is characterized by the loss of the basic motor ability. When the disease begins to affect the patient's brain stem, the basic processes of digestion, respiration, and excretion shut