Dementia is manifested in the deterioration of a person's intellectual abilities. It can be both congenital and acquired, and in another way it is called dementia. The symptoms differ greatly from the degree of dementia. There are three of them.
What is this?
Starting with mild dementia, a person begins to suffer from memory loss. The stock of knowledge that he managed to accumulate is decreasing. In this case, the nervous system is affected, and the brain is gradually destroyed. All three degrees of dementia are manifested in the fact that a person has no connection between fantasy and reality. His reactions become poor, he is no longer critical of his own behavior and words. Not so long ago, such symptoms were noticed only in people over 65 years old, but now the disease is “younger.”
By degrees
Mild dementia - the first - is manifested in the fact that a person retains the ability to lead an independent daily life. At the same time, sometimes the first difficulties are noted in the cognitive sphere. They appear in new situations - when you need to remember where a person put something, time or place. Sometimes thisthe degree of dementia is expressed in the inability to learn new information. The person is trying but unable to take in the information.
Dementia of the middle degree - the second - is expressed in memory loss. With it, a person loses the ability to lead an independent life. He continues to perform standard actions that are brought to automatism. But any new information is kept in it for only a couple of minutes. As the degree of dementia increases, a person forgets who he is and where he lives. He cannot remember the names of his relatives.
With 3 degrees of dementia, he actually completely loses his memory - both verbal and non-verbal. He loses the ability to memorize new information in general. He forgets everything he knew before. He stops recognizing next of kin.
Interesting facts
In 20% of cases, dementia is caused by diseases of the vascular system of the body. About 35% of all senile diseases are dementia. Three times more often all degrees of dementia occur in females.
Prevention of dementia is the maintenance of an active and he althy lifestyle, active mental activity also helps - study. In addition, dancing saves. Approximately 6% of the elderly suffer from severe dementia. Another 15% suffer from milder forms.
By the age of 75, this disease develops in most of the population. 4 times more likely to develop dementia in families in which similar cases have already been. Approximately 2-10 years pass from the momentthe onset of the first signs of dementia before the day of death. About 10% of patients with this diagnosis suffer from psychosis. There is no effective cure for dementia, the process is not treatable.
What threatens a long life
It is important to consider that dementia accompanies many diseases associated with the nervous system - Alzheimer's, Huntington's and so on. As a rule, centenarians suffer from them. Thus, one in three US residents who die at an advanced age suffer from either Alzheimer's disease or dementia.
Prevention keeps people he althy for even longer. But as people's life expectancy increases, the number of sick people will also steadily increase. According to the latest research, by 2040 the number of people suffering from any degree of dementia will be 81,000,000 people. In total, at the beginning of the 21st century, the number of patients increased by 34%.
Early dementia
While dementia is most often associated with the elderly, cognitive function can be inhibited in younger populations as well. Sometimes symptoms appear before the age of 40. According to research, there are 54 dementia sufferers per 100,000 people aged 30-64 in England.
As a rule, dementia praecox occurs due to disorders of the nervous system. Sometimes it is caused by a gene mutation. Sometimes changes are provoked by traumatic brain injuries, alcohol intoxication also has its negativeimpact.
Difficulty is the diagnosis of dementia at an early stage. Many symptoms are explained by fatigue, chronic stress. And for this reason, having noticed these phenomena, you should consult a doctor.
He althy lifestyle and dementia
Dementia has a strong relationship with obesity. And even slightly overweight increases the likelihood that a person will experience dementia. This was revealed in the course of studies conducted in Sweden. They followed twins over the age of 65. The same results were shown by American studies. During them, 19,000 people were examined. People who have had a low level of physical fitness are more likely to suffer from dementia as they age.
In addition, regular physical activity slows down the development of dementia. After all, it increases the cognitive activity of a person. Diet also plays an important role. The more a person gets used to eating fruits and vegetables from a young age, the he althier he will be in old age. Bad habits also cause many negative consequences. A person who smokes two packs a day doubles the likelihood of encountering dementia in the near future. Alcohol products also provoke early dementia.
Correct attitude
Many elderly people who live alone experience dementia. If a person is in a good mood, then the likelihood of cognitive impairment does not increase. It's about those who feel left out. Thendementia is much more likely to develop at an early age.
Problems with the spiritual sphere of life, satisfaction with one's being lead to an increase in the likelihood of both depression and dementia. People who suffer from depression are 3 times more likely to develop dementia. The presence of stress factors (difficulties in a career, breakups) also leads to an increase in the likelihood. Stress has a decisive influence on a person's he alth in the future.
Mind labor
Scientists are very carefully examining whether mental work can reduce risks. At the same time, it was possible to find out that people who are engaged in active mental work slow down the development of dementia by 32%. If a person analyzes information little, reads or writes, dementia develops at an accelerated rate.
And, as a rule, older people who work with computing and technology are less likely to experience dementia. The use of computer technology also has a positive effect on the brain. The constant adoption of new decisions, active interaction with the outside world has a positive effect on his condition.
In addition, mental activity tones those already suffering from dementia. Not so long ago, learning therapy was introduced - during it, patients solve problems from arithmetic, retell stories. Thanks to this, the memory of patients is strengthened, the quality of their life is steadily growing. However, such treatment will never completely protect a person from pathologies by the end of life.
Estrogen and anemia
It has been proven that the development of dementia is affected by the level of estrogen in the female body. During menopause, the risk of cognitive impairment increases. And if she also suffers from diabetes, the increased estrogen levels will increase the risks to a large extent.
Why is this happening? Nobody has determined this yet. Probably, the whole point is that estrogen affects the blood vessels.
In addition, anemia and dementia are linked. A person who has low hemoglobin in the blood in old age is twice as likely to suffer from cognitive impairment. Perhaps the reason lies in the fact that tissues with anemia are less fed with oxygen. And this has a negative impact on the state of the brain
Testing for dementia
It is important to notice signs of dementia as early as possible. After all, then the chances of successfully getting rid of the disease will increase. Thus, a home system was invented that allows you to determine if a person has signs of dementia. The latest SAGE product allows you to check whether a person is oriented in time, whether he has a memory.
Besides, if there is a suspicion that a person suffers from dementia, there is another method to find out for sure. It is enough to show him photos of celebrities whom he knows for sure. And if a person suffers from dementia, he will not remember who it is.
Music and Memories
Reminiscence therapy is thought to help. In the course of such treatment, patients talk about their past, analyze all events anew. It can boost mood, improve memory. At the same time, the effectiveness of this method has not been confirmed by official studies.
