Know About Dementia And Its Kinds-1

I was invited for an informative talk about dementia and its types; a topic that is of concern to the elderly and those that care give to elders. Dementia causes severe changes in the brain of the elder that causes memory loss and hinders the elder from even carrying on the normal daily activities. It affects 3 areas of the brain namely, the area of language, memory and decision making. In most cases dementia cannot be reversed except when it is caused by alcohol and drug abuse. According to the Cleveland Clinic, only 1 in 5 dementia cases can be reversed.

Kinds of Dementia:

 
Alzheimer's disease: This is the most common form of dementia affecting 60% to 80% of the dementia cases; it causes early signs like depression and forgetting names and recent events. This disease causes the brain cells to die and could ultimately result in confusion and mood swings in the affected elder. Alzheimer's disease is more common in elders with about 5% being in their 40s or 50s.

Vascular dementia: This form of dementia that causes vision problems and sometimes hallucinations is the second common type of dementia that is causes by lack of blood flow to the brain or as a consequence of aging or stroke. Most people with advanced heart disease are also at risk for vascular dementia. It could occur suddenly or slowly and could cause confusion and disorientation in early stages; later on the elder could experience trouble completing tasks or concentrating for long periods of time.

Dementia with Lewy bodies: Caused by protein deposits in nerve cells that interrupts chemical messages in the brain and causes memory loss and disorientation, elders experiencing this dementia could have visual hallucinations and have problems with sleep. They might also faint or become lost or disoriented. Sharing the same symptoms as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s, it is common for the elder to have trembling hands, trouble in walking and weakness.

Parkinson’s disease: Elders with advanced Parkinson’s disease could also develop dementia, with its early signs being problems in reasoning and judgment. They may have trouble understanding visual information or remembering how to do simple daily tasks and might also have confusing or frightening hallucinations. The elder could be irritable, with many becoming depressed or paranoid as the disease progresses. Some may also experience trouble speaking and might forget words or get lost during a conversation.

Fronto-temporal dementia: Used to describe various forms of dementia that affect the front and side parts of the brain, it could affect the control of language and behavior. This form of dementia could affect people as young as 45 years, with many developing this condition due to the mutation in genes GRN, MAPT or C9ORF72. Fronto-temporal dementia could cause loss of inhibitions and motivation, as well as compulsive behavior. Those affected could also have problems with speech, including forgetting the meaning of common words.

The gathering broke up for a tea break; with the speaker leaving us informed about 5 different types of dementia.

Image Courtesy: Google