Dementia

Dementia is a state or a condition related to the mental ability loss which could range from Reasoning, thinking and up to remembering. The condition is not caused by any diseases but there are few symptoms which affect the brain area leading to loss of memory or the patient being confused and also a change in mood and behavior. The condition also happens to most of the elder people and the chances increase with aging. The most number of cases suffering with this condition are often above 60 years of age.

Symptoms

There are lot of symptoms attached to this condition and can range in a huge variety. The symptoms can start from problems related to memory where the patient may not be able to recollect the name or even their own addresses. This can be a tough condition to heal through and also call for lot of social pressure. The patient can also show some signs of speech and language problems starting from forgetting simple words or using wrong words without even noticing the problem. The patients may also realize that lot of confusion happening around in their mind while taking any decisions or losing track of time. Change in behavior can also be a huge symptom related to this condition. One may suddenly see a difficulty in doing normal day to day tasks and also lot of issues in learning something new. Some other symptoms are hallucinations, obsessive behavior, depression, incontinence, loss in weight and appetite. In some of the severe cases, the symptoms are like problems with swallowing, problems in changing position, complete loss of memory in short term or long term.

Causes

The causes of the condition can be many. This can develop when some of the cells responsible for the mental ability get damaged and causes problems like azhimer disease, brain tumors, and head injury. Most common cause of this state has been seen as Alzheimer’s disease and it’s the statistics which show almost 60% cases affected due to this disease.

Diagnosis

The initial symptoms are quite mild in nature and it develops gradually. The initial diagnosis is also based on the simple reason like memory loss or ability to read or write getting hampered. There could be some tests suggested by the doctor, like Blood tests, X-Rays and CT, MRI scans to make any conclusive remarks about the seriousness of the issue. The diagnosis can actually take lot of time in coming out with proper reports and it can go up to 12 weeks.

Treatment

In most of the cases, this condition can not be cured. In some cases, there can be treatments carried using supplements and also some surgery. The side effects of the treatments available can be nausea, diarrhea, fatigue, appetite and insomnia. The mental activity can also play a huge part in reducing the stress levels and also slow down the pace of this condition which can help the patient to come out of the condition to certain extent.