What can be done about senile dementia?

Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
Updated on September 01, 2024
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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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Causes of Alzheimer's Disease

The causes of Alzheimer's disease are related to multiple factors. For instance, advanced age is the most significant risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, with the incidence increasing by 5% with each additional year. Secondly, it is related to gender, with women being more prone to Alzheimer's disease. Additionally, there is a certain relationship with genetics. The fourth factor is vascular factors, such as hypercholesterolemia, hyperhomocysteinemia, diabetes, and hypertension. The fifth factor is lifestyle, including smoking, excessive drinking, diet, sleep disorders, depression, and obesity, all of which are risk factors for Alzheimer's disease.

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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.

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Can senile dementia be cured?

Dementia in the elderly is a clinical syndrome caused by the irreversible death of neurons. So far, the mechanism of the disease is not particularly clear, making it very difficult to cure dementia completely. However, there are some corresponding treatment methods that can delay the progression of the disease and improve the quality of life of patients as much as possible. These treatments mainly include exercise therapy, which involves getting patients to participate in appropriate physical activities that can promote cognitive development. In addition, letting patients listen to music more often, interact more with others, and continue learning can also delay the progression of aging. Furthermore, there are some medications that can improve the symptoms of dementia. Currently, the most commonly used worldwide are acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, which can increase the levels of acetylcholine and thereby improve cognitive function to some extent and slow the progression of the disease. Additionally, if elderly individuals exhibit some psychiatric symptoms, they can also be given some atypical antipsychotic medications to alleviate the condition.

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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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What to do about senile dementia?

For patients with dementia, if the diagnosis is confirmed, the recommended treatment is as follows: First, it is very important to pay attention to nursing care. Patients with dementia often get lost, which can lead to a series of dangers, so it is necessary to take good care of them to prevent getting lost. Secondly, for the improvement of cognitive functions, it is recommended to use some cholinesterase inhibitors, which can increase the level of acetylcholine in the brain and improve the patient's cognitive functions to a certain extent. Third, symptomatic treatment should also be provided. Since patients with dementia often exhibit psychiatric symptoms, such as visual and auditory hallucinations, appropriate antipsychotic medications can be used for treatment. (Please use medication under the guidance of a professional physician.)