Dementia

General characteristic of a disease

Dementia or weak-mindedness is one of kinds of the cognitive disturbances of mentality connected with the cognitive sphere of the person. Depending on severity of symptoms of dementia the disease can be an easy, moderate or severe form.

At easy degree of dementia only professional qualities of the patient worsen, and his social activity decreases. A symptom of dementia of moderate degree is loss of skills of use of the majority of household objects. At a stage of heavy dementia of people it is completely deadapted and we depend on people around. He is not able to cope with the simplest problems of hygiene or meal independently.

Depending on the reason of development of dementia distinguish two main types of a disease: senile dementia (it is senile dementia) or vascular weak-mindedness.

Senile dementia

Senile or senile dementia is caused by age changes in structure of a brain. Changes gradually happen at the neural level and are provoked by both insufficient supply with brain blood, and other chronic diseases or acute infections. As the reason of senile dementia problems of metabolism, pathology of kidneys and adrenal glands, an immunodeficiency, malignant a new growth or neurodegenerative frustration, for example, Alzheimer's disease can serve.

Senile dementia – the irreversible disturbance affecting all cognitive spheres of mentality: thinking, memory, speech, attention. Progressing of a disease is followed by loss of all acquired skills and abilities. The possibility of acquisition of new knowledge at patients with senile dementia is also sharply limited.

One of the main symptoms of dementia of this look is stability of manifestation of symptoms of weak-mindedness unlike a delirium when at the patient temporary attacks of a disorientation are observed.

As household definition for senile dementia are quite often used expression "dotage". Elderly people are subject to a disease 65 years are more senior. 5-15% of inhabitants of Earth of a retirement age on average suffer from various manifestations of symptoms of dementia.

Vascular dementia

Vascular dementia develops as a result of the disturbances of cerebral circulation caused by defeats of tissues of brain. Can lead the majority of vascular diseases to vascular dementia, for example, arterial hypertension, atherosclerosis, ischemia of vessels of a brain, etc.

Results of posthumous studying of brain structures of patients with vascular dementia allow to claim that the heart attack appears a cause of illness quite often. Not the myocardial infarction, and formed owing to his cyst is more right. At the same time the probability of development of vascular dementia depends not on the size of the injured brain artery, and on the total amount of nekrotizirovanny brain arteries.

Symptom of dementia of vascular type is sharp decrease in indicators of cerebral circulation and metabolism. If the disease is followed by a laminar necrosis with death of neurons and growth of glial fabric, serious complications in the form of an embolism (obstruction of vessels) and a cardiac standstill are possible.

Various cardial pathologies, diabetes mellitus, lipidemia are considered as risk factors of vascular dementia (the increased level of lipids in blood).

Symptoms of dementia of vascular type are most often diagnosed at the age of 60-75 years. The disease by 1,5 times meets at men more often and makes 50% of all cases of the diagnosed weak-mindedness.

General symptoms of dementia of different type

The average duration of a disease of 5 years with the gradual accruing changes of the identity of the patient. The first explicit symptoms of dementia – a point of certain traits of character of the person, for example, economies, obstinacies, suspiciousness, etc. The sick person with the progressing vascular or senile dementia shows conservatism in acts, judgments and hardly accepts something new. Its interests are narrowed, abilities to cogitative activity worsen, ethical standards of behavior are lost.

In process of progressing of a disease of people hardly can reproduce recently taken place events in memory. Then orientation in time and space is lost though a behavior manner, the speech, a mimicry and gesticulation remain not changed for a long time.

Physical symptoms of dementia: exhaustion, a tremor of brushes, changes in gait - develop only at a stage of a disease of the heaviest degree together with the accruing signs of disintegration of the personality.

Diagnosis of dementia

Diagnostic character of dementia are atrophic processes in a brain. Their recognition is carried out by means of a computer tomography of a brain. At the expressed decrease in cognitive abilities of the patient and the found vascular damages of a brain it is possible to make the diagnosis.

Write in medical magazines about an additional diagnostic method of differentiation of vascular dementia from Alzheimer's disease much – a so-called scale of Hachinsky. It represents the list from 13 symptoms of dementia. Coincidence on 7 points and more indicates probability of vascular dementia, ascertaining less than 7 symptoms are characteristic of Alzheimer's disease.

Treatment of dementia

There is no effective method of treatment of dementia at the moment, especially if it is about senile dementia of heavy type. However at the correct nosotrophy and a symptomatic treatment of dementia perhaps serious simplification of a fate of the patient.

The recommended conditions of treatment of dementia – a house situation. The hospital and accommodation of the patient in psychiatric department is recommended only at senile dementia of heavy degree. A desirable day regimen which the patient's relatives – a maximum of activity and simple household chores have to provide.

Psychotropic drugs in treatment of dementia are appointed only at sleeplessness or hallucinations. At early stages of treatment of dementia purpose of nootrop is reasonable, and is later than tranquilizers and nootrop.

Effective prevention of vascular or senile dementia, as well as treatment, does not exist.