DEMENTIA
A set of symptoms caused by disorders that affect the brain causing a gradual decrease in the ability to think and remember

Dementia is very rarely hereditary. It becomes more common with age affecting a person’s daily functioning and has a significant effect on their caregivers.

TYPES OF DEMENTIA

Dementias can be caused by brain cell death, and neurodegenerative disease. It can also be caused by a head injury, a stroke, or a brain tumor.

Alzheimer
It is the most common cause of dementia which makes up 50% to 70% of the cases. During the evolution of the disease, the chemistry and structure of the brain changes, leading to brain cells’ death.

Vascular dementia
If the oxygen supply to the brain fails, brain cells may die. The symptoms of vascular dementia can occur either suddenly, following a stroke, or over time through a series of small strokes.

Dementia with Lewy bodies
Small spherical structures develop inside nerve cells leading to brain tissue degeneration.

Mixed dementia
It refers to a diagnosis of two or three types occurring together. For instance, a person may show both Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia at the same time.

Fronto-temporal dementia
In fronto-temporal dementia, damage is usually focused in the front part of the brain. Personality and behavior are initially more affected than memory.

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
Prions are infectious agents that attack the central nervous system and then invade the brain, causing dementia. The best-known prion disease is Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, or CJD.

TREATMENTS

Brain cell death cannot be reversed, so there is no known cure for degenerative dementia. However, if dementia symptoms are due to a reversible, non-degenerative cause, treatment may be possible to prevent or halt further brain tissue damage.
Symptoms of Alzheimer's disease can be reduced by some medications.

• Donepezil (brand name Aricept)
• Alantamine (Reminyl)
• Rivastigmine (Exelon)
• Tacrine (Cognex)

A different kind of drug, memantine (Namenda), an NMDA receptor antagonist, may also be used, alone or in combination with a cholinesterase inhibitor.

SYMPTOMS

Cognitive changes

• Difficulty with organizing
• Difficulty with coordination
• Difficulty communicating
• Difficulty completing familiar tasks
• Problems with abstract thinking
• Confusion and disorientation
• Changes in sleep or appetite
• Misplacing things

Psychological changes

• Mood changes
• Personality changes
• Loss of initiative
• Loss of interests
• Agitation
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Irritability
• Indifference
• Hallucination

DIAGNOSIS

A specialist will evaluate the level and severity of the case through assessments which include conversations with the person being diagnosed and those close to them, a physical examination, memory tests and/or brain scans.

The Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) is a cognitive test used to help diagnose dementia caused by Alzheimer's.
• Orientation to time and place
• Word recall
• Language abilities
• Attention and calculation
• Visual-spatial skills

Sources: Medical News Today, Alzheimer's Society, Mayo Clinic