Dementia or Senility
The probability that a person has dementia increases with age. However, studies have shown that the disease may occur before 60 years.
Dementias are diseases in which intellectual capacity deteriorates progressively and continuously.
Dementia is a group of symptoms that usually occur in diseases that cause brain damage and the death of neurons.
Nerve cell death is a normal process, but in the case of some illnesses, the process runs faster.
There are many types of dementia, the most common being Alzheimer’s disease (more than 60% of cases of dementia), vascular dementia, and dementia of Parkinson’s disease.
How does dementia manifest?
Patients with dementia or senility have problems with short-term memory.
They can forget what was just said or done, even if they remember things that happened many years ago.
It is difficult for them to orient in time and space. They no longer recognize family members, are becoming less and less communicative, etc.
They need closer supervision and help to meet the most mundane activities such as dressing or eating, as the disease progresses.
Symptoms of dementia can occur in cases of major depression or of acute confusional states.
Diagnosis of dementia
It is very important to be diagnosed as early as possible because early treatment can improve symptoms.
Although the disease is incurable, existing treatments can help them improve their quality of life.
An early diagnosis allows the patient and family to plan an informed life.
Diagnosis can be made by health experts, psychiatrists, neurologists, or geriatricians, after some tests, plus computed tomography.
To have a correct diagnosis, the patient must be evaluated and treated by a multidisciplinary team consisting of specialists (psychiatrist, neurologist, and psychogeriatric), psychologists,s and a social worker.
Medications for dementia
Any form of dementia cannot yet be cured, but some treatments can help.
In the early stage and moderate Alzheimer’s dementia, there are medications (cholinesterase inhibitors) that the doctor can recommend.
These drugs help affected nerve cells work better for a while, and so it eases the effects of the disease.
Like all medicines, they are not suitable for everyone and sometimes can have side effects.
The symptoms must be carefully reviewed before a doctor prescribes a prescription.
Any change in the disease may require a new evaluation and possible treatment changes.
