Dementia is the general name of diseases that occur mostly in older ages, in which different functions of the brain (such as memory, speech, perception) are affected, are progressive, restrict the daily life of the person over time, and impose important responsibilities on the patient's relatives/society.
The most common and known subtype is Alzheimer's disease, but there are also other types of dementia such as vascular (cerebral vascular diseases-related) dementia and Parkinson's disease-related dementia.
It does not mean that every person will get dementia when they get older. However, the risk of dementia increases with age and accompanying diseases. Detecting the risk of dementia and detecting treatable dementias is important for personal and public health.
Alzheimer's Disease, the most common type of dementia; It occurs because brain cells die earlier than programmed, the reason for which is not yet fully clarified (brain cell death occurs in every person with age, but in Alzheimer's disease, this process occurs very quickly and early). With cell death, the brain shrinks. Although very rare (approximately 5 out of 100 patients), there are also hereditary forms. Although the cause of the disease is not known exactly, some risk factors have been identified today.
Risk factors for Alzheimer's Disease:
1. Age (unchangeable factor)
2. Depression in the past (modifiable factor )
3. Cardiovascular diseases (high blood pressure, high cholesterol) modifiable factors
4. Serious head injuries in the past
5. Low education level
6. APOE4 carrier.
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The average duration of the disease is 8 years. On the other hand, in some patients the disease progresses very slowly, and in others it progresses somewhat faster. The disease can be divided into 3 stages: early, middle and advanced stages. .The essential feature of the disease is forgetfulness. The important thing is to distinguish between benign old-age forgetfulness and forgetfulness that is a symptom of disease. This distinction is made by combining and interpreting the patient's examination, information given by the patient's relatives, neuropsychological evaluation and, if necessary, other auxiliary tests.
In Alzheimer's disease, there is a slight forgetfulness at the beginning. For example, the patient forgets his appointments, the price of his meal, and what to buy from the grocery store. A person who did not make a shopping list in the past may start keeping a list or taking various notes to avoid this situation. Over time, forgetfulness gradually increases and the patient begins to not record new events at all. May ask the same questions over and over again. He may forget his grandchildren's names. He does not remember the location of the items he placed. However, the patient can describe his past in surprising detail, especially his youth and the 30-40 age period. If an elderly person with forgetfulness cannot find the roads he/she knows well, can no longer go to places he/she used to wander, gets lost because he cannot find his way home, comes home late because he is looking for the way home, and rummages through the rooms in the house, these may be findings related to Alzheimer's disease.
Patients may become withdrawn and seem reluctant. Patients may abandon their pursuits and hobbies. There may be difficulties in the money account. It may also be accompanied by psychiatric findings. Patients may say that they see or hear things that do not exist.
As the stage of dementia progresses, the person becomes more dependent on daily life, behavioral disorders and changes in sleeping/eating habits occur. After a while, the patient's relative may need to seek professional care support.
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