What is dementia, what are the symptoms, stages, and types of dementia? How is dementia different from Alzheimer’s?

Dementia is the name given to diseases in which forgetfulness is common. Which is more common in elderly people, can occur with different diseases. It is popularly known as dementia. What is dementia, what are the symptoms? How it is treated? What are the stages and types of it? How it is different from Alzheimer’s? We have compiled the answer to your questions for you.

Dementia, which occurs as a result of advancing age, is briefly called forgetfulness. Discomfort directly affects the working power of the brain. Thought, deliberation, and remembering sections are among the affected areas.

What is dementia?

It is a group disorder that can affect social skills and thinking. Which is not a single disease, has many types. The most common type is Alzheimer’s. The second most common type is called vascular Dementia.

Dementia, which means mind in Latin, is expressed as the disappearance of the mind. However, It doesn’t come on suddenly. Symptoms are usually slow and always persist. However, some types of it may be caused by a deficiency in the body or a side effect of medications. This type does not usually progress. It will surely come back.

What are the symptoms of dementia?

The most common symptom is that new information is immediately forgotten. However, in order for a person to be considered Dementia, the person must have impairments in at least two of the following.

• Communication, language.
• Memory
• Attention ability, focus.
• Judgment and judgment, scrutiny.
• Visual perception.

As soon as you think that you or you have impairments in at least two of the above, you should consult experts. Even if the symptoms indicate irreversibly, many things can be gained with early detection. Despite Dementia, which will increase as traits progress, liver function can be planned.

How is dementia treated?

There is no test that can diagnose dementia yet. However, the physician performs clinical studies and asks questions to his patients. When the disease is suspected, the patient can have various brain tests done. The best treatment for dementia is a medication that can be used temporarily. Medications allow for temporary relief of discomfort.

However, there are treatments that are applied without the use of drugs. These are usually psychological therapies administered by experts and changes that the person can make in his or her life. Changes that can be made in life become necessary in some cases. These can be done in case of progression of dementia with the help of a doctor.

It is necessary to be prepared for the later stages. Studies on making the person safer in the house may be among these. Professional support should be taken completely.

Knives and sharp tools should not be in the middle. In addition, patients cannot work in crowded environments, even in their early stages. For this, the preparation of a calm environment may be considered necessary for the advancement of life.

Tasks need to be made simple. All tasks should become easy and divided into specific sections. Success-oriented plans should be made.

What are the stages of dementia?

It have three stages. They consist of three parts as early, middle and late stages.

In the early stage; problems may arise from being unable to keep track of time, forgetfulness and getting lost in familiar places.

In the middle stage; symptoms become sharper. It can be seen as forgetting people’s names and recent events, getting lost at home, needing help for personal care, having difficulties in communication, and starting to experience behavioral changes.

In the last late stage; it can be defined as being unaware of the place and time, not being able to take personal care, not knowing relatives, increased behavior, and walking difficulties.

What are the types of dementia?

Alzheimer’s: Alzheimer’s, defined as a common amnesia disease, is a type of Dementia disorder.

Vascular Dementia: The second very familiar type of Dementia. It occurs as a result of damage to the vessels supplying blood to the brain. Memory loss and slowness are common symptoms.

Lewy Body Dementia: Common symptoms include seeing things that do not exist, moving asleep, and attention problems.

Front temporal Dementia: This type of Dementia occurs as a result of the breakdown of cells in the frontal lobe of the brain. Thinking, judgment, personality changes are among the symptoms of this type.

Mixed Dementia: It is a type in which all types of Dementia coexist. A symptom of each type of Dementia can be included here.

Why does dementia occur?

The brain has many different regions, each responsible for different functions (e.g. memory, judgment, and movement). When cells in a particular area are damaged, that area cannot perform its normal functions.

It is caused by damage to brain cells. This damage interferes with the ability of brain cells to communicate with each other. When brain cells cannot communicate normally, thinking, behavior and emotions can be affected.

Different types are associated with certain types of brain cell damage in specific areas of the brain. For example, in Alzheimer’s disease, high levels of certain proteins inside and outside of brain cells make it difficult for brain cells to stay healthy and communicate with each other. The brain area called the hippocampus is the center of learning and memory in the brain, and the brain cells in this area are often the first area to be damaged in Alzheimer’s disease. That’s why memory loss is often one of the first symptoms of Alzheimer’s.

What is the frequency of dementia?

According to the data of the World Health Organization (WHO); there are around 50 million dementia patients worldwide, 60% of whom live in low and middle-income countries. About 10 million new cases are seen each year. With the aging of society, it is estimated that the total number of patients will reach 82 million in 2030 and 152 million in 2050. 

Is Dementia Inherited?

It is mostly not inherited. However, there are rare types that can be inherited. In these cases, the disease usually develops early in life, and some people begin to experience symptoms in their 30s.

The main risk factor of Alzheimer’s disease is age and its frequency increases with aging. However, the presence of Alzheimer’s disease in the family may increase the incidence in other members compared to other people.

How Do Dementia Patients Behave?

The most common symptom is memory loss. People forget about their recent events. They have difficulty identifying the names of their relatives and who they are. They forget where they put things. They can even disappear inside the house. They cannot comfortably continue the conversation. There may be sudden and unnecessary changes in mood. They have difficulty doing what they always do in daily life.

How is dementia different from Alzheimer’s?

Alzheimer’s disease is a type of Dementia. Therefore, Alzheimer’s is actually the same as Dementia. However, It is different from Alzheimer’s. It is more general and includes many more ailments. It can be said that the changes in protein movements show the differences between these two.