An estimated five to eight percent of men and women over the age of 65 experience some problem with dementia, and an astonishing 25 to 50 percent of individuals over the age of 80 are faced with some form of dementia.
The best way to combat dementia from progressing rapidly and claiming more and more of the patient's memory, mind, and life is to identify the medical condition as early as possible.
Finding the symptoms of dementia early is the key for giving the patient the most hope for stopping or even reversing the disease.
The most common symptoms of dementia are those associated with memory.
Although it is not unusual for men and women to forget things or misplace things as they age, there is a fine line between regularly forgetfulness and dementia.
Usually dementia is more associated with the short term memory, so that patients are unable to keep appointments or recall conversations held a few minutes ago, but are able to remember events, names, dates, and other important information from their childhood or early adulthood.
This is especially true in the case of individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer's , although as the disease continues to progress, the memory span is shortened further.
To determine the difference between regularly forgetfulness and dementia, make an appointment with a specialist in the field.
A specialist will be able to run special diagnosing tests on the patient to determine if the mind is experiencing signs of dementia.
Another common sign of dementia and Alzheimer's is the loss of ability to do common things, including locking doors, cooking, driving, or reading.
Also, a patient may not be able to follow favorite television shows or movies, since he or she may forget the plot or the characters.
A common method of diagnosing memory problems is a sudden showing of inappropriate, irritable, or hostile behavior.
Depending on its cause, dementia may either be primary or secondary. Primary dementia is found in about 80 to 90 percent of cases and is caused by pathological changes in the brain cells or cerebral vessels. While these changes are also apparent in secondary dementia, these are the result of other diseases. This is true in 10 to 20 percent of cases.
Secondary dementia usually follows diseases alike brain tumors or multiple head injuries that can lead to subdural hematoma (the accumulation of blood in the skull). Not a few boxers have died because of this. An unrecognized infection can also cause secondary dementia. Formerly, the culprit here was syphilis but now all eyes are on Lyme disease - a frequent cause of dementia.
Diabetes and an underactive thyroid are other possible causes of secondary dementia. So are nutritional, deficiencies, particularly those involving vitamin B12 and folic acid. Heavy metal poisoning, excessive alcohol intake and an overdose of sleeping pills, tranqui1izers, and narcotics can also affect brain function and eventually result in secondary dementia.
Sometimes the problem may be brought about by loneliness or depression. But this is properly labeled "pseudodementia" since there is no underlying cerebral deterioration. It may, however, lead others to think that the patient has the real thing. Thus, the doctor should take the pain of ruling out any underlying disorder to make an accurate diagnosis of dementia.
"Before you conclude that an older relative or friend who's behaving 'strangely' has irreversible dementia, ask the doctor whether other disorders have been considered and excluded," said Dr. Isadore Rosenfeld of the New York Hospital Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in The Best Treatment.
If your relative has any of the above conditions, don't panic. They are reversible and respond well to treatment. The irreversible forms of dementia fall under the primary type. The most common forms of primary dementia include Alzheimer's disease and multi-infarct dementia (MID).
Alzheimer's disease is named after the German neurologist Alois Alzheimer who first described the condition in November 1906. But the disease was known as long as 140 years ago and descriptions of it were made as early as 1838.
Alzheimer's patient was a 51-year-old woman who was jealous of her husband, didn't trust her doctor, and believed that people were out to murder her.
"On admission, she was helpless, disoriented, could not understand anything, was confused and lost. She seemed to have auditory hallucinations, and would scream for hours on end. She had perception disorders, forgetting the names of common objects. Reading, writing, and conversation were impaired: often she would stop talking completely. However she still walked normally and had full use of her hands, and had normally reacting pupils, Any focal symptoms were mild and transient." according to Dr. Siegfried Kanowski of Freie University in Berlin who talked about Alzheimer's first case at the 9th International Bayer Pharma Press Seminar in Vienna.
"Mental regression advanced steadily and she died four and a half years after she was first seen. At the end, she was completely apathetic, confined to bed in a fetal position and incontinent." he added.
This wasn't the last time doctors heard about this mysterious disorder. Over four million Americans have Alzheimer's disease which is the most common cause of dementia in western countries. Although the disease may begin as early as age 4O, it usually strikes the aged with devastating results.
"The disease occurs in approximately 4 percent of persons 65 to 74 years old, 10 percent of those 75 to 84 years, and 17 percent of those 85 years or older. Alzheimer's disease is extremely rare in young people and is uncommon in middle age," said Dr. David E. Larson, editor-in-chief of the Mayo Clinic Family Health Book.
Is there a connection between the use of aluminum pots and pans and Alzheimer's disease? Find out in the third part of this series. To enhance your memory and support healthy brain function, take Neurovar. For more information on this powerful supplement, go to
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Mike Herman has sinced written about articles on various topics from Mental Health, Arthritis Signs and Sleep Disorders. The information you need to know about Alzheimer's and the different forms of dementia. The risks, symptoms, potential causes, stages, available treatments, and more about. Mike Herman's top article generates over 49500 views. to your Favourites.
Sharon Bell has sinced written about articles on various topics from Skin Care, Mens Health and Asthma. Sharon Bell is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and published author. Many of her insightful articles can be found at the premier online news magazine