How is Alzheimer's disease treated?

Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
Updated on September 11, 2024
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Senile dementia, also known as Alzheimer's disease, is the most common neurodegenerative disease worldwide. The pathogenesis of this disease is not particularly clear so far and may be related to genetic and environmental factors. Multiple factors act on neurons causing irreversible and progressive death of neuronal cells. Currently, the treatment of this disease mainly includes two aspects. The first aspect is general treatment, mainly including family care. Family members must pay attention to the care of the patient, prevent the patient from accidentally wandering off, prevent the patient from falling, and prevent some accidents that cause injuries. In addition, it is important for the patient to listen to music, interact with others, and exercise more, all of which can delay the progression of senile dementia. The second aspect is pharmacological treatment, mainly using drugs that inhibit the reduction of acetylcholine. These drugs can increase the content of acetylcholine and improve the cognitive functions of patients to a certain extent, but so far, these treatments cannot reverse senile dementia.

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Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
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Causes of Alzheimer's Disease in the Elderly

The causes of dementia in the elderly are not currently completely clear. Dementia in the elderly is mainly divided into familial and sporadic types. Familial dementia shows autosomal dominant inheritance, which is caused by a gene mutation on chromosome 21 leading to the accumulation of some toxins, resulting in the death of neurons and causing dementia fundamentally due to genetic mutations. However, most cases of dementia are sporadic and do not have a clear family history. The mechanisms and reasons for disease onset are not particularly clear. Some believe that abnormalities in cerebral vascular function may lead to neuronal cell functional disorders, resulting in decreased ability to clear certain cell toxins, thus leading to neuronal apoptosis and death, and consequently impaired cognitive functions. In addition, factors such as oxidative stress, inflammatory mechanisms, excessive fatigue, and emergency stress may also cause cell death. Overall, the causes of dementia in the elderly are not particularly clear.

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Written by Tang Bo
Neurology
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What is dementia called?

The commonly mentioned senile dementia, also known as Alzheimer's disease, is the most common type of dementia. Its incidence generally increases in people over the age of 65 and continues to increase with age. It is a degenerative disease, with risk factors including age and gender, usually higher in women than in men. It is also related to educational level, whether there has been trauma, genetics, thyroid function, exposure to toxic substances, as well as vascular factors. Diabetes and depression are also risk factors for senile dementia.

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Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
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How is dementia diagnosed in the elderly?

Alzheimer's disease is a degenerative disease of the nervous system. The diagnosis of this disease mainly relies on the clinical manifestations of the patient, as well as some corresponding scales and some corresponding imaging examinations. In terms of examinations, it is necessary to check some neurofunctional scales, mainly cognitive function scales, common scales include some MMSE scales, and some MoCA scales. These scales are very important for diagnosing this disease. In addition, some imaging examinations need to be improved, mainly including cranial magnetic resonance imaging examinations. Cranial MRI can reveal atrophy in the patient's temporal lobe, hippocampus, and other areas, which also have an important reference value for the diagnosis of the disease. Moreover, an electroencephalogram can be performed to see some mild abnormalities, and lumbar puncture tests can also reveal some abnormally increased protein deposits.

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Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
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What can be done about senile dementia?

Once a patient is diagnosed with dementia, it is crucial to promptly visit a hospital for treatment. The doctor will conduct some auxiliary examinations based on the patient's medical history to rule out other diseases. If the diagnosis confirms dementia, firstly, family members must pay attention to care. The living abilities of patients with dementia decline significantly, and they may experience wandering, thus enhancing caregiving to prevent any accidents in the elderly; Secondly, it is essential to encourage the patient to engage in physical activities. Exercise can slow down the progression of aging and delay the further deterioration of dementia; Thirdly, it is vital to enhance communication for the patient, encouraging them to converse more with others, as interaction can slow down the progression of dementia; Fourthly, some specific medications should be administered for treatment. These drugs mainly include acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and NMDA receptor antagonists, which current research confirms can alleviate certain symptoms of dementia.

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Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
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early signs of dementia

Dementia in the elderly, mainly referring to Alzheimer's disease, is primarily characterized by a significant decline in the patient's memory and learning abilities. Of course, there are some prodromal symptoms before the onset of dementia. For example, patients might show no clinical signs of cognitive impairment or only display very slight memory decline. Patients might exhibit mild impairment in memory, a decrease in the ability to learn and retain new information, and mild impairments in other cognitive areas such as attention, executive function, language skills, and visuospatial abilities. However, these impairments are very slight and can go unnoticed by family members. Moreover, these mild impairments do not affect the patient's basic daily life abilities and do not reach the level of dementia. Patients can live independently and manage their routine daily tasks, which are mainly some of the early signs of dementia.