How is dementia diagnosed in the elderly?

Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
Updated on September 27, 2024
00:00
00:00

Alzheimer's disease is a degenerative disease of the nervous system. The diagnosis of this disease mainly relies on the clinical manifestations of the patient, as well as some corresponding scales and some corresponding imaging examinations. In terms of examinations, it is necessary to check some neurofunctional scales, mainly cognitive function scales, common scales include some MMSE scales, and some MoCA scales. These scales are very important for diagnosing this disease. In addition, some imaging examinations need to be improved, mainly including cranial magnetic resonance imaging examinations. Cranial MRI can reveal atrophy in the patient's temporal lobe, hippocampus, and other areas, which also have an important reference value for the diagnosis of the disease. Moreover, an electroencephalogram can be performed to see some mild abnormalities, and lumbar puncture tests can also reveal some abnormally increased protein deposits.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
1min 4sec home-news-image

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.)

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
58sec home-news-image

Is senile dementia hereditary?

Dementia primarily refers to Alzheimer's disease, which mainly has two types: The first type is sporadic Alzheimer's disease, which does not have a clear familial history. It is caused by the degeneration and death of neurons due to various reasons, leading to certain clinical symptoms. This type of sporadic dementia does not have a genetic predisposition. The other type of dementia has a clear family history, where patients typically exhibit mutations in the APP gene, leading to increased secretion, which in turn causes the death of neurons and results in the symptoms of dementia. This familial type of dementia has a genetic predisposition. Dementia is a common condition in neurology and is the most common neurodegenerative disease. Currently, there are no effective treatments available. Family members must pay attention to caregiving, and patients can take cholinesterase inhibitors, which can improve symptoms to a certain extent.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
59sec home-news-image

precursors of senile dementia

The diagnosis of senile dementia must first meet the diagnostic criteria for dementia, primarily characterized by impairment in multiple cognitive areas such as memory, language skills, executive function, and computational ability, and these impairments affect daily life; this is called senile dementia. Before dementia occurs, there are some precursory signs, mainly slight declines in memory. For example, patients might occasionally forget to bring keys when going out, or forget to turn off the stove while cooking. These mild memory impairments are some of the precursors to senile dementia. Additionally, there is a decline in learning ability, including the symptoms of learning new knowledge and mastering new skills; these declines are also precursors to senile dementia. Therefore, the precursors of senile dementia can primarily be summarized as a slight decline in memory function and some slight decline in learning ability.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Tang Bo
Neurology
1min home-news-image

How long is the lifespan of someone with Alzheimer's?

The causes of dementia in the elderly can be varied, with many diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and vascular dementia, all leading to senile dementia. Therefore, how long one lives may require specific analysis. If the dementia is due to cerebrovascular factors, the lifespan of the individual may be closely related to the primary disease, i.e., cerebrovascular disease. Dementia caused by Alzheimer's disease progresses with the disease and affects the patient's lifespan. In its advanced stages, when the patient can no longer take care of themselves, complications such as lung infections can further impact their lifespan. There are also other factors, which need to be assessed based on the evaluation of the disease.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
47sec home-news-image

What is the full name of dementia?

Senile dementia mainly refers to Alzheimer's disease, a condition with a relatively high incidence rate among the elderly population, and it is the most common neurodegenerative disease. The specific causes and mechanisms of this disease are not particularly clear. Under the influence of various factors, degeneration and death of the temporal lobe, hippocampus, and neurons occur, leading to a series of clinical manifestations. Initially, it mainly manifests as a decline in recent memory function, often forgetting recent events. As the disease progresses, there is a decline in calculating ability and judgment, significant spatial dysfunction, personality changes, and psychiatric symptoms.