Dementia Definition, Reason, Symptoms, Treatment & Prevention
Understanding
Dementia is often misinterpreted as senile disease. But actually, dementia is not a disease but a symptom of a disease. Dementia is a disorder characterized by memory loss or a condition in which a person has difficulty remembering something from his memory.
This condition can also cause language disorders, as well as the inability to carry out daily activities. For example, it is easy to get lost while driving.
Although memory loss is common in people who are senile due to dementia, reduced memory does not necessarily make a person have dementia. Memory loss to some degree could be a normal aging process.
Dementia
| Medical specialist | Neurologist |
| Symptom | Memory ability decreases or even disappears, difficulty communicating and loss of words, changes in behavior, appears paranoid, and hallucinations. |
| Risk Factors | Age over 65 years, family health history, have experienced trauma to the head. |
| How to diagnose | Medical interview and physical examination. |
| Treatment |
Drugs to reduce symptoms and special therapy. |
| Drug |
Nerve drugs (Donepezil, Galantamine, Memantine) |
| Complications | Hallucinations, sleep problems, difficulty socializing and communicating. |
| When to see a doctor? | Experiencing the symptoms and signs of dementia |
Symptom
The signs of dementia can vary, depending on the cause. But common signs and symptoms are:
1. Changes in the Function of Reason
Memory loss, difficulty communicating or finding words, difficulty performing complex tasks, difficulty planning and organizing, difficulty with motor function and coordination, and disorientation problems such as getting lost easily.
2. Psychological Changes
Personality changes, inability to determine causation, behavioral disorganization, paranoia, anxiety and hallucinations.
Reason
Dementia involves damage to nerve cells in the brain, which can occur in several areas of the brain. This disorder can appear in different forms in each patient, depending on the area of the brain that is affected.
Senile due to dementia can also occur due to brain damage caused by reduced blood flow in the blood vessels of the brain. Problems with these blood vessels can occur due to many things.
Some of them are strokes, heart valve infections, or other conditions in the blood vessels. Symptoms usually appear suddenly and are often seen in people with high blood pressure or who have had a previous stroke or heart attack.
Risk Factors
Dementia can be caused by the following risk factors:
- Age. People over 65 years are at higher risk of developing dementia
- Family history.
- Have a down syndrome condition.
- Have experienced trauma to the head
Diagnosis
To determine the diagnosis, the doctor will review the past medical history, and current symptoms, and perform a physical examination. Other tests that will be carried out include cognitive and neuropsychological tests, neurological or neurological examinations, CT scans or MRI of the brain, blood tests, and psychiatric examinations.
Treatment
Most types of dementia can not be cured. However, the doctor will help you manage your existing symptoms to slow down and minimize the development of symptoms. For example, by providing drugs to treat sleep disorders and therapies that help sufferers adapt to living with dementia.
Some dementia symptoms and behavioral problems may initially be treated with non-drug approaches, such as:
- Environment modification
- Modification of patient response
- Task modification
In addition to the above therapies, currently alternative therapies are also being developed. For example, vitamin E supplements, omega-3 fatty acids, to Ginkgo biloba. Other techniques can also help reduce anxiety and promote relaxation. For example with music therapy, pet therapy, aromatherapy, and massage therapy.
Prevention
Dementia prevention is quite difficult to do. However, there are some steps that might help:
1. Make it a habit to keep your mind active
Brain-stimulating activities, such as puzzles and word games, and memory exercises can slow down and help reduce the appearance of dementia or dementia.
2. Active Physically and Socially
Physical activity and social interaction can slow the onset of dementia and reduce its symptoms.
3. Stop smoking
Several studies show that smoking in middle age and older can increase the risk of dementia and vascular disease. Quitting smoking can reduce that risk.
4. Lower Blood Pressure
High blood pressure can increase the risk of some types of dementia.
5. Implementing a Healthy Diet
Eating healthy food is important for many reasons. A diet rich in fruit, vegetables and omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in large quantities from fish and nuts, is beneficial for overall health and reduces the risk of developing dementia or dementia.
Complications
Dementia that is not handled properly can cause complications in the form of:
1. Insufficient Nutrition
Many people with dementia due to dementia will reduce or stop eating and drinking eventually. They may forget to eat and think they have eaten.
Changes in mealtimes or noise disturbances around them can also interfere with their eating activities. Often, senile dementia or severe dementia makes you lose control of the muscles used for chewing and swallowing.
This can create a risk of choking or getting food into the lungs. If this happens, these foods can block breathing and cause lung inflammation.
2. Decreased Hygiene
In cases of moderate to severe dementia, sufferers may lose their ability to perform daily tasks independently. A person may become unable to bathe, dress, wash their hair, brush their teeth, or use the toilet on their own.
3. Difficulty taking medication
This condition greatly affects the ability to remember people with dementia. Because of this, remembering to take the right amount of medication at the right time can be a challenge.
4. Emotional Abilities Decline
Dementia can change behavior and personality. Some of these changes can be caused by impaired brain function.
While other changes in behavior and personality may be caused by emotional reactions in the face of changes that occur in the brain. Dementia can lead to depression, aggressiveness, confusion, frustration, anxiety, and disorientation.
5. Difficulties in Communicating
With increasing severity of dementia, sufferers can lose the ability to remember the names of people and objects as well as problems communicating with others or understanding others. This disruption in communication can lead to feelings of anxiety, isolation, and depression.
6. Delusions and Hallucinations
Sufferers may experience delusions, namely wrong ideas/thoughts about other people or existing situations. Some people, especially people with dementia, can have visual hallucinations.
7. Trouble sleeping
A person can have trouble sleeping, such as waking up too early. Others may have restless limb syndrome or rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder, which can affect sleep.
8. Personal Security Issues
Because of the reduced ability to make decisions and solve problems, some everyday situations can create insecurities for people with dementia. For example, when driving, cooking, falling, getting lost, and overcoming obstacles.
When to See a Doctor?
Rush to the doctor if you or someone close to you experiences the symptoms and signs of dementia as mentioned above.