Dementia
Dementia is a term used to describe a group of symptoms that affect memory, thinking, and social abilities, severely enough to interfere with everyday activities. Although it isn’t a specific disease, it is important to note that several conditions can lead to dementia.
Alzheimer’s disease
One of the most significant causes is Alzheimer’s disease, which is the most common cause of progressive memory loss in older adults. However, there are a number of other causes of dementia as well. Depending on the underlying cause, some symptoms might even be reversible.
Alzheimer’s disease primarily affects older adults, with up to 10% of those over age 65 and about 50% of people older than 85 affected by the disease. Furthermore, family history is an important risk factor, as approximately 60% to 80% of people with dementia have this type.
Other types of dementia:
In addition to Alzheimer’s, there are other types of dementia, including Frontotemporal, Lewy Body, and Vascular Dementia
Symptoms of Dementia
Symptoms can vary and may include:
- Forgetting recent events or information in early stage. Global memory impairment in advanced stage
- Repeating comments or questions over a very short period
- Misplacing commonly used items or placing them in unusual spots
- Often, wandering and getting lost in familiar areas
- Not knowing the season, year or month.
- Difficulty speaking, understanding and expressing thoughts, or reading and writing
- Experiencing a change in mood, behavior or interests.
- Trouble handling money responsibly and paying bills
- Having trouble anticipating and feeling pleasure in everyday life
- Often, experiencing poor judgment and confusion
- Avoiding social interaction or interacting in socially awkward ways
- Having very low energy and spending a lot of time in passive activities
- Experiencing hallucinations or paranoid delusions
- Periods of agitation and restlessness
- Disturbed sleep pattern
- Personality changes often develop over time
- Experiencing periods of low mood and anxiety is also common. .
Treatment of Dementia
There is currently no cure for dementia. However, there are medicines and other treatments that can help manage dementia symptoms.
Most of the available medicines are used to treat Alzheimer’s disease, as it is the most common form of dementia. In fact, medicines may slow down the progression of dementia by improving cognition (such as memory, orientation, and language) and function (such as performance in daily activities).
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The main medicines are:
Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors:
These medicines work by preventing an enzyme from breaking down acetylcholine, a substance in the brain that helps nerve cells communicate with each other. For example, Donepezil (Aricept), rivastigmine (Exelon), and galantamine (Reminyl) are commonly used to treat the symptoms of mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. Additionally, Donepezil is also used for more severe cases of Alzheimer’s.
Memantine
For patients who cannot take or tolerate acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, Memantine offers an alternative. It works by blocking the effects of excessive glutamate, a chemical in the brain that can harm nerve cells.
Anti-amyloid antibody aducanumab (Aduhelm®)
Recently, a new drug called Aducanumab was introduced. It targets amyloid proteins, which build up into the plaques seen in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease.
Medications to treat other symptoms or conditions
Such as psychosis, depression, sleep disturbances or agitation, may also be prescribed.
Although these treatments don’t stop the progression of dementia, they can slow it down.
Furthermore, if other medical conditions coexist with dementia, doctors will prescribe drugs that address these specific conditions, such as sleeping problems, depression, hallucinations, or agitation.
This information is not intended to replace advice given to you by your health care provider. Make sure you discuss any questions you have with your health care provider.