Dementias Considered as Alzheimer’s Disease
Aside from Alzheimer’s disease, other dementias exist such as Dementia with Lewy body, Vascular dementia, Parkinson’s disease with dementia, and dementia due to various neurologic and medical conditions.
How will you know if a person is suffering from Alzheimer’s dementia?
Alzheimer’s dementia is a neurologic disorder characterized by a progressive and irreversible cognitive decline associated with impairment in functioning.
Cognitive deterioration consists of memory impairment.
Initially, there is recent memory impairment but as the disease progresses, even the long-term memory is affected.
In addition to memory impairment, a patient with dementia has impairment in one of four cognitive areas: aphasia, apraxia, agnosia, and impairment in executive functioning.
Aphasia is a problem in a language characterized by the inability to express oneself, repeat words or phrases, or understand what is being said.
Apraxia is the inability to adequately perform a usual motor activity such as combing the hair or brushing the teeth despite no paralysis or musculoskeletal abnormality.
Agnosia is the inability to recognize objects or things despite intact sensory functions.
For instance, a demented patient cannot recognize a key or a pen placed in his or her hands without looking at it.
Impairment in executive functioning is characterized by difficulty in abstract reasoning and in organizing things, schedules, and activities.
What are the possible causes of Alzheimer’s?
The cause of Alzheimer’s is still unknown. However, several risk factors have been identified. One major risk factor is age.
The risk of developing dementia increases as our age advances. Older individuals, therefore, are more at risk.
Alzheimer’s can also happen to young individuals.
Other important risk factors include the presence of plaques and tangles in the brain and the brain’s impaired cholinergic system.
Is there any successful treatment for Alzheimer’s?
Alzheimer’s disease is irreversible so current medications are only geared to slow down the deterioration.
Although initially indicated for mild to moderate dementia, some recent evidence shows that some of these drugs may also benefit patients with moderate to severe dementia.
Further studies are warranted to determine its efficacy in this group.
