Dementia is not a single disease in itself, but a collective term used to describe different symptoms such as lack of memory, communication and thinking problems. There are chances of dementia increasing with age but it is not a common part of ageing. Due to normal ageing, light cognitive impairments such as poorer short-term memory can develop, known as age-related cognitive decline. This does not cause major problems like dementia. There are two or more types of dementia symptoms that can severely affect a person’s daily activities.

1. All you need to know about Dementia
Dementiais nota single disease initself,butacollective termusedtodescribe differentsymptomssuch
as lack of memory, communication and thinking problems. There are chances of dementia increasing
withage but it isnot a commonpart of ageing. Due to normal ageing, light cognitive impairments such
as poorershort-termmemorycandevelop,knownasage-relatedcognitive decline. This does not cause
major problems like dementia. There are two or more types of dementia symptoms that can severely
affect a person’s daily activities.
60 to 80% of people are affectedwith Alzheimerdisease which is the most common type of dementia.
Vascular dementia is the second most common type which occurs after a stroke. There are also many
otherconditionsthatcan leadtodementia,symptomsincludingsome which are reversible like thyroid
problems and vitamin deficiencies.
Symptoms-
The symptoms of dementia may vary widely. However, some common symptoms of dementia are:
● Memory loss
● Communication and language problems
● Compromised ability to focus and pay attention
● Weakened reasoning and judgment
● Decreased visual perception
● Mood swings
● Changes in personality
● Lack of interest
Most people sufferingfromdementiahave problemssuchasshort-termmemoryloss or Amnesia. Most
symptoms of dementia worsen gradually with time.
Causes of Dementia-
Dementia is caused by the death of brain cells. The damage to brain cells obstructs neural
communication with each other, causing abnormalities in thinking, behaviour and feelings. Different
typesof dementiaare associated with particular types of brain cell damage in particular regions of the
brain.
In Alzheimer’s, the brain cells find it hard to stay healthy due to the high levels of certain proteins,
making it difficult to communicate with each other. The brain region called the hippocampus is the
centre of learning and memory in the brain, and the brain cells in this region are often the first to get
damaged. This is why memory loss is often one of the earliest symptoms of Alzheimer's.
Most changesin the brain,causeddue to dementia,cangetworse overtime.However, certain thinking
and memory problems caused due to the below-mentioned conditions can be improved with proper
treatment:
● Medication side effects
● Excess use of alcohol

2. ● Thyroid problems
● Vitamin deficiencies
● Depression
Diagnosis & treatment-
There are no particular tests to diagnose dementia. Patients with Alzheimer's and other types of
dementia are diagnosed by doctors on the basis of a careful study of the medical history, physical
examination,laboratorytests,andthe characteristicchangesinthinking and behaviour associated with
each type.Itis difficulttodeterminethe exacttype of dementia as the symptoms and brain changes of
different forms can overlap.
The treatment of dementia depends on its cause. Most progressive forms, including those caused by
Alzheimer’s, have no cure and treatment to slow down or stop its advancement. However, there are
certaindrug treatmentsthatcan improve the symptomstemporarily.The same drugsprescribedforone
type of Dementiamightbe prescribedforothertypesaswell.Non-drugtherapiescan also be helpful to
reduce some symptoms of dementia.New researchesandclinical studies are continuously being made
on effective treatments for dementia.
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