Dementia Types Causes and Treatments

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Dementia Types, Causes, and Treatments Dementia
is not a single illness or a specific disease.
Instead, it is a collective term that refers to a
wide range of symptoms associated with cognitive
decline. Dementia usually leads to problems in
memory, reasoning, and thinking. It usually
occurs when the sections of the brain used for
memory, learning, language, and decision-making,
are diseased or damaged. When this part of the
brain is damaged, a persons ability to perform
everyday duties is severely compromised.
According to statistics, Alzheimers disease
contributes to 60 to 80 of dementia cases
reported worldwide. Currently, there are
approximately 50 million people worldwide,
suffering from dementia. Although it is not a
normal part of the aging process, it mainly
affects senior citizens. Seven Dementia
Types As noted earlier, dementia refers to
various conditions or symptoms that lead to
memory loss. It occurs due to damage of brain
cells. Due to this damage, the ability of brain
cells to communicate with each other is severely
affected.
When brain cells malfunction, the victim cannot
think, behave, feel or communicate normally.
Therefore, you cannot isolate certain factors as
dementia causes. There are different dementia
types, including Alzheimers disease, Vascular
dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies, Parkinsons
disease, Frontotemporal dementia,
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, mixed dementia,
Huntingtons disease, and Wernicke-Korsakoff
syndrome, among others.
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• Alzheimers Diseases
• Alzheimers disease contributes to 60 to 80
  percent of dementia cases. Individuals who have
  Alzheimer's disease tend to suffer from
  depression. They also forget recent events as
  well as names, including those of close family
  members. The death of brain cells usually causes
  Alzheimer's disease. As the disease spreads in
  the brain, the victims experience mood changes
  and confusion. They also have problems walking or
  speaking. Older adults are more susceptible to
  Alzheimers disease as compared to youths.
• Vascular Dementia
• Vascular Dementia is also another common type of
  dementia. It ranks second after Alzheimers
  disease. It occurs to due to insufficient or lack
  of blood flow to the brain. When there is a lack
  of blood flow to the brain, the brain is deprived
  of vital nutrients and oxygen. This compromises
  its normal functioning. Vascular dementia is also
  associated with old age. It is also associated
  with stroke and atherosclerotic disease.
• Common symptoms of vascular dementia include
  disorientations and confusions. The symptoms can
  appear suddenly or slowly, depending on the
  causative agents. As it
• progresses, the victims have problems
  concentrating for long periods or completing
  tasks. Vascular dementia is also associated with
  vision problems and hallucinations.
• Parkinsons Disease
• Most people who have Parkinson's disease tend to
  develop dementia at some stage. Early symptoms of
  this form of dementia include problems with
  judgment and reasoning. For example, if you have
  Parkinson's disease dementia, you will have
  problems remembering how to undertake common
  daily tasks or even understanding visual
  information. You might also suffer from
  frightening and confusing hallucinations. As the
  disease progresses, most victims become paranoid
  or depressed. Others might forget words or have
  trouble having a conversation.
• Dementia with Lewy Bodies
• Also called Lewy body dementia, it occurs due to
  protein deposits in the nerve cells. These
  deposits interrupt chemical messages in the
  brain, thus leading to disorientation and memory
  loss. People suffering from Lewy body dementia
  have trouble falling asleep or experience visual
  hallucinations. They might also fall asleep
  unexpectedly during the day. They might also
  become disoriented, lost or faint. People
  suffering from Lewy body dementia, Alzheimers
  disease, and Parkinsons disease share many
  symptoms like trembling of hands, speech
  disorientation and walking problems.

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• Frontotemporal Dementia
• Frontotemporal Dementia is a collective term that
  refers to various types of dementia, all
  affecting the side and front parts of the brain.
  These parts of the brain are associated with
  language control and behavior. Frontotemporal
  Dementia tends to run in families. According to
  the Alzheimers Society, it can affect people as
  young as 45 years. It leads to loss of
  motivations and inhibitions, and compulsive
  behavior as well. People with Frontotemporal
  Dementia may also have speech problems while
  forgetting the meaning of common words.
• Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome

Dementia alarm clock Also known as Wernickes
encephalopathy, Wernickes disease is a brain
disorder caused by lack of or insufficient
vitamin B-1, which leads to bleeding in the lower
portions of the brain. It can lead to physical
symptoms such as loss of muscle coordination or
double vision. At some stage, the physical
symptoms associated with Wernickes disease tend
to reduce. At the same time, early symptoms of
Korsakoff syndrome start appearing. People with
Korsakoff syndrome may have problems learning new
skills, processing information or remembering
things. Alcoholism is one of the main causes of
vitamin B-1 deficiency. - Huntingtons
Disease Huntingtons disease is a genetic
disorder that leads to dementia. There are two
types including adult and juvenile onset. The
juvenile type is not common. Its symptoms appear
in childhood and adolescence. The adult type
manifests itself when individuals are in their
30s and 40s. It leads to premature breakdown of
nerve cells in the brain,
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leading to dementia and impaired movement.
Symptoms of Huntingtons disease include
difficulty learning new things, trouble speaking,
difficulty focusing on tasks, and impulse control
actions. Dementia Treatment Most forms of
dementia occur due to death of brain cells.
Currently, no treatments are available for
degenerative dementia. Therefore, treatments
usually focus on management of disorders, to
enable the victims to live a decent life. Support
and care should be person-centered, due to the
wide range of symptoms associated with dementia.
Some of the management treatments available
include talking therapies to help the affected
individual come to terms with their condition.
Also, cognitive behavioral therapy helps
individuals suffering from anxiety and depression
while cognitive rehabilitation to help the victim
cope better, and engaging in popular activities
like art, singing or music. It is important for
people with dementia to remain as active as
possible socially, mentally and physically,
since it boosts their self-esteem and increases
their confidence.
Available dementia treatments usually target the
symptoms. In some cases, they might delay the
progress of the symptoms for a while. For
example, an individual suffering from mixed
dementia or mild Alzheimers disease may be
instructed to take galantamine, rivastigmine, or
donepezil. These drugs may provide temporary help
with motivation, concentration, daily living, and
memory. Memantine is usually prescribed to
individuals who have severe Alzheimer's disease.
A wide range of drugs may be
described for dementia treatment, depending on
the underlying symptoms and the causes of
dementia.
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Dementia alarm clock