Main symptoms of senile dementia
Dementia is senile dementia characterized by cognitive impairment. Previously acquired skills and knowledge are lost and difficulties arise in acquiring new ones. Most often, the disease occurs in people aged 65-75 years, and women are affected twice as often. The symptoms of senile dementia will be discussed below.
Diseases accompanied by dementia:
- Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease;
- hydrocephalus and brain tumors;
- spinocerebellar degeneration and Pick's disease;
- viral encephalitis and neurosyphilis;
- Itsenko-Cushing syndrome;
- multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus;
- Down syndrome.
The life expectancy of a patient with dementia depends on the stage of the disease and the individual characteristics of the patient. Average indicators are 5-7 years.
Stages of brain dementia development
There are three main stages - light, moderate and severe.
Manifestations of a mild degree will be minor disturbances in the intellectual sphere (forgetfulness, impaired orientation in time). The patient can perform simple household chores and fully care for himself.
The moderate stage is characterized by gross intellectual impairments (the patient is not oriented in time and space, difficulties in communication are increasing). It is difficult for the patient to cope with household duties, difficulties arise when working with household appliances.
Third degree – complete degradation of personality. The patient needs constant supervision and assistance.
The doctor will tell you in more detail about the stages of development of brain dementia at a personal appointment.
Symptoms of the disease
Memory disorder is the main symptom of the disease. The patient reacts aggressively to events, becomes irritable, impulsive and untidy. Memory disorders usually progress very quickly.
Amnestic disorders: the patient does not recognize himself in the mirror, confuses the names of body parts, does not remember names.
Muscular disorders are manifested by increased muscle tone. This symptom is characteristic of a severe stage of dementia.
You can sign up for a consultation on our Dobrobut.com website. Reception is conducted by specialists with many years of work experience. The doctor will answer your questions and tell you about the specifics of caring for a patient with organic dementia.
Diagnosis of the disease
The diagnosis is made by a neurologist or psychiatrist after a personal conversation with the patient and his relatives. After that, the patient is offered to pass several cognitive tests with simple questions.
Additional diagnostic methods include:
- electroencephalography and MRI;
- lumbar puncture;
- reovasography;
- review of narrow-profile specialists;
- laboratory studies.
When making a diagnosis, it is important to take into account the general condition of the patient.
Signs of vascular dementia
Early signs of the disease: forgetfulness, narrowing of the horizons, grumpiness, bad mood, fastidiousness. It is difficult for the patient to cope with household duties, there are problems in communication.
Clinical manifestations of the disease:
- headache, dizziness, nausea;
- stereotyped movements, gaze instability;
- amnestic disorientation (the patient leaves home and then cannot find it);
- autoagnosia (the patient does not recognize himself in the mirror);
- epileptic attacks, psychoses (sometimes):
- muscular stiffness.
Signs of vascular dementia are an attack-like increase in symptoms.
Treatment of the disease
Treatment depends on the cause that caused it. For example, with Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, full recovery is impossible. The main task of the specialist is to slow down the process and prevent the further increase of symptoms. If we are talking about craniocerebral injuries, in which there are no degenerative changes in the brain, full treatment will help recovery.
The general therapy includes drugs that improve the regenerative outflow in ischemic areas of the brain (piracetam, actovegin, cerebrolysin), as well as antidepressants and tranquilizers. Recently, doctors are increasingly prescribing statins. The prognosis for the treatment of dementia with drugs that significantly lower the cholesterol level is favorable. The effect of statin use is observed after 3-4 weeks.
The mainstay of treatment for senile dementia is maintenance therapy aimed at slowing down atrophic processes and improving the patient's quality of life. Treatment of senile (senile) dementia should take place at home. The patient needs constant observation and care. If this is not possible, the patient is transferred to a boarding house for elderly people with dementia. Boarding house specialists will provide round-the-clock care, qualified medical assistance and recovery after ischemic stroke and brain injuries.
What to do with alcoholic dementia syndrome
Alcoholic dementia is the result of long-term (over 15 years) toxic effects of alcohol on brain cells. The disease is manifested by a decrease in intellectual abilities (impaired concentration of attention, impaired memory, loss of the ability to think abstractly) against the background of personal degradation. Alcoholic dementia develops gradually. In this case, there will be no complete recovery, however, if you abstain from alcohol for 8-10 months, the symptoms will regress. Your doctor will tell you more about what to do with alcoholic dementia syndrome.
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