What is dementia?
Dementia is the loss of thinking, remembering, and reasoning to the point where it interferes with a person's daily activities. However, in order to determine if you have dementia, you must see a doctor. Although not strictly a disease, dementia is a general word used in medicine to represent a variety of illnesses that impair patients' cognitive abilities. Dementia syndrome symptoms may result from reversible or irreversible causes. Memory, language, executive function, and learning are all affected by dementia.
Here’s what the expert says
Dr. Howard E. LeWine, M.D. Chief Medical Editor, Harvard Health Publishing says “Dementia patients frequently are unaware of a problem. As a result, dementia is typically impossible to self-diagnose. Mild cognitive impairment, when memory and thinking are somewhat hampered but function is normal, is the stage before dementia. When people are concerned about their thinking and memory as they get older, they frequently worry about perceived cognitive loss, yet cognition and function are both normal.”
Symptoms of dementia
Therefore, any person who exhibits a persistent loss of some component of cognition such as memory loss, trouble making decisions, carrying out plans, executing things that they used to do normally, presents more unrestrained or violent behaviour is considered to have cognitive impairment. In order to be considered for dementia, this loss must, as a criterion, interfere with their ability to go about their regular lives at home or at work.
Is dementia dangerous?
Due to the patient's memory loss and forgetfulness, dementia can be hazardous. As a result, he or she runs the risk of getting lost and/or being taken advantage of by strangers. Not to mention that agitation brought on by dementia can be dangerous for both the patient and those nearby. For the sufferer and his or her family, this disease could be fatal. Dementia is typically a degenerative condition, therefore it may be one of the main causes of mortality for the patient.
Diagnosis of dementia
Doctors must determine whether a person has an underlying condition that may be related to cognitive impairments and is potentially curable. It can be diagnosed using a variety of techniques, including cognitive and neurological tests, brain scans, psychiatric assessments, and blood tests. A 10-minute screening test can be taken in person to diagnose dementia. The examination is known as MMSI. You should visit your doctor and receive the necessary medical examination if you have any symptoms like amnesia or disorientation that interfere with your everyday activities.
How can one delay the onset of dementia symptoms?
“It's crucial to think about the fundamental cause of dementia before deciding how to prevent its progression. Sometimes signs of dementia are actually brought on by another condition, such as severe depression or a vitamin B12 shortage. By maintaining an active lifestyle, eating nutritious food, and taking drugs to manage blood pressure and cholesterol levels, early vascular dementia may be reduced. There is hope for new Alzheimer's medications,” says Dr. LeWine.