Dementia is the decrease in the cognitive functions of the brain, such as memory, attention, concentration, judgment, decision-making and speech, for any reason. It can manifest itself with forgetfulness, confusion, difficulty in planning and carrying out daily tasks, putting things in the wrong place, forgetting simple words, and changes in behavior and temperament. Although the most common dementia is Alzheimer's Disease, any condition that causes damage to the brain can cause dementia. Medical conditions such as head traumas, some vitamin deficiencies, alcohol addiction, diabetes, thyroid diseases, vascular occlusions in the brain, infections affecting the brain or immune system diseases can also cause the development of dementia.
Alzheimer's Disease
strong>The most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer's disease. While the incidence rate is 10% in people over the age of 65, this rate increases with age. Apart from age, other risk factors are low education level, genetics (the risk increases in those with a first-degree relative with Alzheimer's Disease), Down Syndrome, head trauma, heart diseases, alcohol use and depression. There are also studies showing that regular nutrition, exercise and mental activities are protective against the disease.
It is known that in Alzheimer's Disease, the cells become inoperable due to abnormal proteins that accumulate in the brain cells. Today, there is still no treatment to prevent this accumulation. The aim of the applied treatments is to improve the quality of life of the patient and caregivers. For this purpose, dementia medications are most commonly used to slow down the loss of mental functions, and psychiatric treatments can also be added to correct the resulting psychiatric symptoms.
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Although brain cells begin to be damaged in the first stage of the disease, forgetfulness may not occur. .
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In the second stage, the patient experiences mild forgetfulness, not being able to find belongings such as keys or glasses, forgetting food on the stove, asking the same things over and over again, or telling the same events as if he had never told them before.
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In the third stage, he has difficulty remembering words while speaking, begins to forget names and often loses his belongings.
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In the fourth stage, memory problems increase and he becomes withdrawn. , stubborn overcoming and getting angry quickly begins. He becomes unable to perform routine tasks that he is familiar with.
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In the fifth stage, he confuses place and time, may not know where he is and how he got there, may not be able to find his way home, has difficulty recognizing objects, bathing and eating. He/she cannot do tasks such as dressing without help. In this stage, memory difficulties are at the level of moderate dementia.
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In the sixth stage, it is difficult to speak spontaneously, urinary and fecal control may be impaired, the patient may not be able to recognize the people around him, anxiety (fear), insomnia, dreaming or paranoia. Psychiatric symptoms such as these may be observed.
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In the seventh stage, the ability to speak is greatly reduced, there may be difficulty in swallowing, and the child is in need of constant care.
Behavioral changes and psychiatric symptoms are also observed in the majority of people with Alzheimer's disease. Depression, anxiety, fear of being alone, aimless wanderings, irritability, aggression, daydreaming, false beliefs that someone will harm them or steal their belongings, and insomnia are psychiatric conditions that may occur. At this stage, psychiatric treatment should also begin in addition to neurological treatment.
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