What to do about senile dementia?

Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
Updated on March 07, 2025
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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.)

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Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
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early signs of dementia

Dementia in the elderly, mainly referring to Alzheimer's disease, is primarily characterized by a significant decline in the patient's memory and learning abilities. Of course, there are some prodromal symptoms before the onset of dementia. For example, patients might show no clinical signs of cognitive impairment or only display very slight memory decline. Patients might exhibit mild impairment in memory, a decrease in the ability to learn and retain new information, and mild impairments in other cognitive areas such as attention, executive function, language skills, and visuospatial abilities. However, these impairments are very slight and can go unnoticed by family members. Moreover, these mild impairments do not affect the patient's basic daily life abilities and do not reach the level of dementia. Patients can live independently and manage their routine daily tasks, which are mainly some of the early signs of dementia.

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Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
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Causes of Alzheimer's Disease in the Elderly

The causes of dementia in the elderly are not currently completely clear. Dementia in the elderly is mainly divided into familial and sporadic types. Familial dementia shows autosomal dominant inheritance, which is caused by a gene mutation on chromosome 21 leading to the accumulation of some toxins, resulting in the death of neurons and causing dementia fundamentally due to genetic mutations. However, most cases of dementia are sporadic and do not have a clear family history. The mechanisms and reasons for disease onset are not particularly clear. Some believe that abnormalities in cerebral vascular function may lead to neuronal cell functional disorders, resulting in decreased ability to clear certain cell toxins, thus leading to neuronal apoptosis and death, and consequently impaired cognitive functions. In addition, factors such as oxidative stress, inflammatory mechanisms, excessive fatigue, and emergency stress may also cause cell death. Overall, the causes of dementia in the elderly are not particularly clear.

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Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
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incidence of senile dementia

Dementia in the elderly has a very noticeable high incidence trend worldwide and in China, with many people over the age of 65 suffering from this disease. Statistics show that in Western countries, the incidence of dementia in the elderly might be around 3%-8%. In China, the incidence among the elderly over 65 may also be around 5%. Therefore, the number of elderly people suffering from this disease is very large, and thus it is essential to pay attention to this disease. This disease is mainly caused by the death of nerve cells due to many reasons. Currently, there is no effective cure for this disease, but there are some drugs that can alleviate the symptoms. These drugs mainly include cholinesterase inhibitors, which can increase the content of acetylcholine in the brain, improving the level of cognitive function in patients. Additionally, symptomatic treatment should be noted to prevent lung infections, malnutrition, and other complications in the elderly.

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.