Late-stage symptoms of senile dementia

Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
Updated on December 23, 2024
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Elderly dementia generally refers to Alzheimer's disease. This disease begins slowly and progressively worsens, with symptoms becoming increasingly severe. In the later stages of dementia, symptoms are numerous, mainly reflected in the following aspects: First, patients may exhibit significant personality changes. For example, a person who was originally gentle may become irritable and prone to aggressive behaviors such as hitting or yelling at others, and may even experience incontinence. Second, a patient's overall cognitive functions completely collapse, with a comprehensive decline in memory, as well as significant impairments in computational abilities, judgment, and comprehension. There are also problems with time orientation, with patients unable to distinguish between day and night. Additionally, patients may experience severe malnutrition, develop bedsores, and suffer from serious complications such as pulmonary infections and urinary tract infections.

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Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
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Symptoms of dementia in the elderly

Dementia in the elderly is medically known as Alzheimer's disease, which is categorized into mild, moderate, and severe stages. The clinical manifestations vary with the severity of the disease. Mild dementia primarily presents as memory impairment, starting with a decline in short-term memory, where patients often forget daily activities. For instance, they might forget the way home when they go out, forget to add salt when cooking, or forget to turn off the stove. Patients may also exhibit personality disorders, such as neglecting personal hygiene or not wanting to bathe. As the disease progresses to moderate dementia, besides worsening memory impairment, the patient's ability to work, learn new knowledge, and communicate with others significantly diminishes. There is a notable decline in previously acquired knowledge and skills, such as judgment and calculation abilities. They may also experience aphasia, apraxia, agnosia, and some patients may exhibit significant behavioral and psychological abnormalities. With further progression to severe dementia, patients may become emotionally detached, exhibit unpredictable crying or laughing, fail to recognize family members, lose verbal abilities, and even become unable to perform simple tasks such as dressing or eating. They may spend their days in bed, not speaking, and gradually lose contact with the outside world, ultimately leading to death.

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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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What to eat for senile dementia

For patients with dementia, it is recommended to take some cholinesterase inhibitors, which can increase the content of acetylcholine in the brain and have certain effects on improving cognitive functions. Additionally, consuming NMDA receptor antagonists can also help improve cognition. In terms of diet, it is advised that patients eat more foods rich in unsaturated fatty acids, such as fish, shrimp, and olive oil. It's also beneficial to consume plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits, which are rich in vitamin C and can help combat oxidative stress. Drinking more milk and eating foods rich in B vitamins, mainly whole grains, is also recommended. (Medication should be used under the guidance of a doctor.)

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Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
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How is Alzheimer's disease treated?

Firstly, attention must be paid to pharmacological treatment. In terms of pharmacological therapy, the main treatments include cholinesterase inhibitors, which can increase the amount of acetylcholine in the central nervous system and improve the patient’s cognitive level. Glutamate receptor antagonists can also be used, and they have a certain therapeutic effect on moderate to severe dementia. Secondly, patients with dementia may exhibit psychiatric symptoms in the later stages, such as hallucinations. Under a doctor's advice, appropriate amounts of antipsychotic drugs can be used for treatment. Thirdly, medications that protect brain cells and nourish nerves can be administered to the elderly. Additionally, close nursing care is necessary to prevent accidents. (Please undertake medication under the guidance of a professional physician.)

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Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
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precursors of senile dementia

The diagnosis of senile dementia must first meet the diagnostic criteria for dementia, primarily characterized by impairment in multiple cognitive areas such as memory, language skills, executive function, and computational ability, and these impairments affect daily life; this is called senile dementia. Before dementia occurs, there are some precursory signs, mainly slight declines in memory. For example, patients might occasionally forget to bring keys when going out, or forget to turn off the stove while cooking. These mild memory impairments are some of the precursors to senile dementia. Additionally, there is a decline in learning ability, including the symptoms of learning new knowledge and mastering new skills; these declines are also precursors to senile dementia. Therefore, the precursors of senile dementia can primarily be summarized as a slight decline in memory function and some slight decline in learning ability.