- The Symptoms of Dementia
- by Heather Colman
Dementia is the progressive decline
in cognitive function due to damage or disease in the brain beyond
what might be expected from normal aging. Particularly affected
areas may be memory, attention, language and problem solving,
although particularly in the later stages of the condition, affected
persons may be disoriented in time, not knowing what day, week,
month or year it is, not knowing where they are, not knowing
who they are. Symptoms of dementia can be classified as either
reversible or irreversible depending upon the etiology of the
disease. Less than 10% of all dementias are reversible. Dementia
is a non-specific term that encompasses many disease processes,
just as fever is attributable to many etiologies.
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Early symptoms of dementia often
consist in changes in personality, or in behavior. Often dementia
can be first evident during an episode of delirium. There is
a higher prevalence of eventually developing dementia in individuals
who experience an acute episode of confusion while hospitalized.
Dementia can affect language,
comprehension, motor skills, short-term memory, ability to identify
commonly used items, reaction time, personality traits, and executive
functioning. Even without signs of general intellectual decline,
delusions are common in dementia (15-56% incidence rate in Alzheimer's
type, and 27-60% incidence rate in multi-infarct dementia). Often
these delusions take the form of monothematic delusions, like
mirrored self-misidentification. |
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Elderly people can also react
with dementia-like symptoms to surgery, infections, sleep deprivation,
irregular food intake, dehydration, loneliness, change in domicile
or personal crises. This is called delirium, and many if not
most dementia patients also have a delirium on top of the physiological
dementia, adding to the symptoms. The delirium can go away or
greatly improve when treated with tender care, improved food
and sleeping habits, but this does not affect the alterations
in the brain. Affected persons may also show signs of psychosis
or depression. It is important to be able to differentiate between
delirium and dementia.
Proper differential diagnosis
between the types of dementia will require, at the least, referral
to a specialist, e.g. a geriatric internist, geriatric psychiatrist
or neurologist. However, there are some brief 5-15 minute tests
that have good reliability and can be used in the office or other
setting to evaluate cognitive status.
Except for the treatable types
listed above, there is no cure to this illness, although scientists
are progressing in making a type of medication that will slow
down the process.
Disclaimer - The information presented here should
not be interpreted as medical advice. If you or someone you know
suffers from Dementia, please consult your physician for the
latest treatment options. |
