What is the full name of dementia?

Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
Updated on November 30, 2024
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Senile dementia mainly refers to Alzheimer's disease, a condition with a relatively high incidence rate among the elderly population, and it is the most common neurodegenerative disease. The specific causes and mechanisms of this disease are not particularly clear. Under the influence of various factors, degeneration and death of the temporal lobe, hippocampus, and neurons occur, leading to a series of clinical manifestations. Initially, it mainly manifests as a decline in recent memory function, often forgetting recent events. As the disease progresses, there is a decline in calculating ability and judgment, significant spatial dysfunction, personality changes, and psychiatric symptoms.

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Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
1min 8sec home-news-image

progression of Alzheimer's disease in the elderly

The progression of dementia in the elderly mainly includes the following aspects. The first is the pre-stage of mild cognitive impairment, during which patients show no clinical symptoms. Some may only report slight memory impairment, with a possible slight decline in learning ability and a mild decrease in the capability to learn new things. As the disease progresses to the second stage, the period of mild cognitive impairment occurs, where patients will experience impaired memory, but it is not particularly obvious, and daily life is not affected at all. Then, entering the third stage, some periods of dementia occur, during which patients' memory, executive abilities, computational skills, and judgment are significantly impaired. Patients might even get lost or possibly forget their own names. As the disease further progresses into the later stages of dementia, the elderly may exhibit some psychiatric symptoms. They become delirious, talk to themselves, and may see things that do not exist. Eventually, the elderly may end up bedridden, with complications such as pulmonary infections and bedsores.

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Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
1min 7sec home-news-image

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
1min 13sec home-news-image

Care measures for dementia in the elderly

Dementia in the elderly is the most common neurodegenerative disease in neurology, mainly referring to the irreversible death of neuronal cells caused by various reasons, which poses a significant clinical hazard and lacks effective treatment methods. Therefore, nursing measures become very important. The main nursing measures include, First, ensuring the patient's nutrition. In the later stages, elderly patients may have no regular diet and cannot take care of themselves. Therefore, ensuring sufficient energy intake and enough protein intake is very important. Malnutrition can easily lead to various complications, leading to the patient's death. Second, it's important to equip elderly people with commonly used contact numbers and addresses in their pockets to prevent them from getting lost and creating dangerous situations. Third, when elderly people are at home, it is crucial to keep the kitchen door closed to prevent them from turning on the gas and forgetting to turn it off. Fourth, patients with dementia are prone to lung infections after becoming bedridden. If bedridden, it is important to frequently turn them over and pat their back to prevent the onset of lung infections.

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Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
47sec home-news-image

What is the full name of dementia?

Senile dementia mainly refers to Alzheimer's disease, a condition with a relatively high incidence rate among the elderly population, and it is the most common neurodegenerative disease. The specific causes and mechanisms of this disease are not particularly clear. Under the influence of various factors, degeneration and death of the temporal lobe, hippocampus, and neurons occur, leading to a series of clinical manifestations. Initially, it mainly manifests as a decline in recent memory function, often forgetting recent events. As the disease progresses, there is a decline in calculating ability and judgment, significant spatial dysfunction, personality changes, and psychiatric symptoms.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
1min 8sec home-news-image

How is Alzheimer's treated?

The treatment of Alzheimer's disease mainly includes the following aspects. First, enhance care to prevent accidents. Patients with Alzheimer's may get lost, forget to turn off fires or gas, etc., so it is essential to strengthen care to prevent accidents. Second, encourage the elderly to read more books and newspapers and enhance learning, which can effectively slow down the progression. Third, have the elderly interact more with others and exercise more. This can strengthen their physical health and, to some extent, delay the development of Alzheimer's disease. Another aspect is drug treatment, which mainly includes acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and some NMDA receptor antagonists. These can improve the symptoms to some extent and enhance the quality of life. Additionally, in the later stages of Alzheimer's, some psychiatric symptoms such as visual hallucinations and aggressive behavior like hitting or yelling may occur. Appropriate atypical antipsychotic drugs can be administered for treatment.