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Dementia
symptoms of senile dementia
The symptoms of dementia mainly include the following aspects: First, there is evident impairment in cognitive functions, primarily involving memory decline. Initially, it may predominantly affect recent memory, with patients often forgetting recent events. As the disease progresses, they may start forgetting events from the distant past as well. Additionally, patients may experience a decline in calculation skills, judgment, execution, and comprehension abilities; their capacity to learn and work is comprehensively impaired. Spatial dysfunction can also occur, causing disorientation and frequent episodes of getting lost. Secondly, in the later stages, patients may display changes in behavior and personality, alongside corresponding psychological symptoms. For example, the patient might become aggressive, restless, and exhibit hallucinations visually and auditorily. Wandering at night is another common symptom. Thirdly, in the later stages, patients might show clinical signs such as muscle atrophy and paralysis. Incontinence is also a common symptom.
Causes of Alzheimer's Disease
The causes of Alzheimer's disease are related to multiple factors. For instance, advanced age is the most significant risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, with the incidence increasing by 5% with each additional year. Secondly, it is related to gender, with women being more prone to Alzheimer's disease. Additionally, there is a certain relationship with genetics. The fourth factor is vascular factors, such as hypercholesterolemia, hyperhomocysteinemia, diabetes, and hypertension. The fifth factor is lifestyle, including smoking, excessive drinking, diet, sleep disorders, depression, and obesity, all of which are risk factors for Alzheimer's disease.
At what age does senile dementia usually occur?
It is generally believed that elderly people over the age of 65 are at a significantly increased risk of dementia, and the prevalence is even higher among those over 80. However, there are exceptions, as some individuals may experience cognitive decline around the age of 50, which requires extra attention. The most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer's disease, a typical neurodegenerative disorder where various factors lead to the degeneration and death of neurons. Initially, patients mainly exhibit a decline in short-term memory functions, often mistaken for simple forgetfulness, resulting in a failure to seek diagnosis and treatment.
Early signs of dementia
Dementia in the elderly, mainly refers to Alzheimer's disease. Early signs of this condition may manifest as some forgetfulness. For example, a patient might forget to add salt while cooking, or forget to bring their keys when leaving the house. These clinical signs should be highly alarming and should not be dismissed as mere forgetfulness, ignoring further examinations and treatments. It is recommended that if the elderly show signs of diminished memory function, they should promptly visit a hospital. Comprehensive assessments and further tests, including brain MRI scans, should be conducted to check for significant atrophy in brain areas such as the temporal lobes and hippocampus. If dementia is diagnosed, prompt intervention and treatment should be pursued.
What to eat for senile dementia
For patients with dementia, it is recommended to take some cholinesterase inhibitors, which can increase the content of acetylcholine in the brain and have certain effects on improving cognitive functions. Additionally, consuming NMDA receptor antagonists can also help improve cognition. In terms of diet, it is advised that patients eat more foods rich in unsaturated fatty acids, such as fish, shrimp, and olive oil. It's also beneficial to consume plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits, which are rich in vitamin C and can help combat oxidative stress. Drinking more milk and eating foods rich in B vitamins, mainly whole grains, is also recommended. (Medication should be used under the guidance of a doctor.)
progression of Alzheimer's disease in the elderly
The progression of dementia in the elderly mainly includes the following aspects. The first is the pre-stage of mild cognitive impairment, during which patients show no clinical symptoms. Some may only report slight memory impairment, with a possible slight decline in learning ability and a mild decrease in the capability to learn new things. As the disease progresses to the second stage, the period of mild cognitive impairment occurs, where patients will experience impaired memory, but it is not particularly obvious, and daily life is not affected at all. Then, entering the third stage, some periods of dementia occur, during which patients' memory, executive abilities, computational skills, and judgment are significantly impaired. Patients might even get lost or possibly forget their own names. As the disease further progresses into the later stages of dementia, the elderly may exhibit some psychiatric symptoms. They become delirious, talk to themselves, and may see things that do not exist. Eventually, the elderly may end up bedridden, with complications such as pulmonary infections and bedsores.
What to do about senile dementia?
When dementia occurs in the elderly, there is a noticeable decline in cognitive function. Initially, it is important to identify the cause of the dementia; some cerebrovascular diseases can also cause dementia. For example, cerebral infarction in certain specific areas of the brain can lead to dementia if it affects the intelligence center. For dementia caused by these reasons, it is recommended to treat with antithrombotic medications, including antiplatelet aggregation drugs and brain cell protective medications. Additionally, if the dementia is caused by Alzheimer's disease, close care is needed to prevent incidents like the patient getting lost. It is advisable to write contact numbers in the pockets of their clothes and administer acetylcholinesterase inhibitors to increase the levels of acetylcholine in the brain, which can improve cognitive function to a certain extent. (Note: This answer is for reference only. Medication should be prescribed and managed under the guidance of a professional physician, and self-medication should be avoided.)
How is Alzheimer's treated?
The treatment of Alzheimer's disease mainly includes the following aspects. First, enhance care to prevent accidents. Patients with Alzheimer's may get lost, forget to turn off fires or gas, etc., so it is essential to strengthen care to prevent accidents. Second, encourage the elderly to read more books and newspapers and enhance learning, which can effectively slow down the progression. Third, have the elderly interact more with others and exercise more. This can strengthen their physical health and, to some extent, delay the development of Alzheimer's disease. Another aspect is drug treatment, which mainly includes acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and some NMDA receptor antagonists. These can improve the symptoms to some extent and enhance the quality of life. Additionally, in the later stages of Alzheimer's, some psychiatric symptoms such as visual hallucinations and aggressive behavior like hitting or yelling may occur. Appropriate atypical antipsychotic drugs can be administered for treatment.
How to alleviate senile dementia?
Dementia brings a heavy burden to both the patient and their family, severely affecting the quality of life. Fundamentally, there is no particularly effective treatment for this disease. To achieve relief, the following measures are recommended: Firstly, it is generally necessary for the patient to take medication for treatment. Commonly used medications include cholinesterase inhibitors, which can increase the content of acetylcholine in the brain and can to some extent delay the progression of the disease. In addition, one can also take some NMDA receptor antagonists to improve dementia. Secondly, encourage the elderly to learn more and read more, which can increase knowledge reserves and delay progression. Thirdly, it is essential to encourage the elderly to go out and interact with others, and of course, precautions should be taken to prevent them from getting lost. In addition, they should engage in appropriate aerobic exercise. (Specific medication use should be conducted under the guidance of a doctor)
Late-stage symptoms of senile dementia
Elderly dementia generally refers to Alzheimer's disease. This disease begins slowly and progressively worsens, with symptoms becoming increasingly severe. In the later stages of dementia, symptoms are numerous, mainly reflected in the following aspects: First, patients may exhibit significant personality changes. For example, a person who was originally gentle may become irritable and prone to aggressive behaviors such as hitting or yelling at others, and may even experience incontinence. Second, a patient's overall cognitive functions completely collapse, with a comprehensive decline in memory, as well as significant impairments in computational abilities, judgment, and comprehension. There are also problems with time orientation, with patients unable to distinguish between day and night. Additionally, patients may experience severe malnutrition, develop bedsores, and suffer from serious complications such as pulmonary infections and urinary tract infections.