DEMENTIA

“One said, ‘Sometimes I catch myself with a jar of mayonnaise in my hand, while standing in front of the refrigerator, and I can’t remember whether I need to put it away, or start making a sandwich.’The second lady chimed in with, ‘Yes, sometimes I find myself on the landing of the stairs and can’t remember whether I was on my way up or on my way down.’The third one responded, ‘ Well, ladies, I’m glad I don’t have that problem. Touch wood,’ as she rapped her knuckles on the table, and then said, ‘That must be the door, I’ll get it.’ “Dementia is a syndrome usually chronic, characterized by a progressive, global deterioration in intellect including memory, learning, orientation, language, comprehension and judgment due to disease of the brain. It mainly affects older people: about 2% of cases start before the age of 65 years. After this, the prevalence doubles every five years. Dementia is one of the major causes of disability in late-life.

Dementia pathology

The dementia syndrome is linked to a very large number of underlying causes and diseases in the brain. The common causes accounting for 90% of all cases are Alzheimer’s disease, Vascular dementia, Dementia with Levy bodies and Front temporal dementia. Some less common causes of dementia are particularly important to detect since some of these conditions may be treated partially by timely medical or surgical intervention. Otherwise, altering the progressive course of the disorder is not possible. However, symptomatic treatments may delay the relentless course of the disease, ameliorate the troublesome behavioral symptoms and timely support can help People with Dementia (PwD) and caregivers alike.