Conditions Associated with Dementia You Should Know
Memory loss brought on by serious alterations in the brain is known as dementia. Additionally, these changes make it hard for people to go about their daily tasks. And personality and conduct of some persons often change as a result. In this article, I have listed conditions associated with dementia you should know.
Memory loss is a common symptom of dementia, but it can be caused by a variety of factors. Memory loss alone does not indicate dementia, though it is frequently one of the first symptoms of the condition.
Conditions Associated with Dementia
The Three regions of the brain impacted by all dementia types are:
- language
- memory
- decision-making
Alzheimer’s Condition
Alzheimer’s disease is the most prevalent as long as dementia is mentioned. The Alzheimer’s Association estimates that between 60 and 80 percent of dementia cases are brought on by this illness.
This condition causes a person to Forget names and recent events, disregard personal hygiene, change mood or attitude and become disoriented.
Although depression can be an early sign of Alzheimer’s disease, it must be treated independently as a disorder because it is not a part of the illness. Sometimes depression is mistaken as Alzheimer’s disease in old people.
Vascular Dementia
Vascular dementia is the second most typical type of dementia. This is caused by insufficient blood supply to the brain.
It usually develops with age and is associated with conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and atherosclerotic disease. However, strokes is the most frequent cause of vascular dementia.
Depending on the source, the symptoms of vascular dementia might develop gradually or suddenly. Early warning symptoms might include confusion and disorientation.
Later, people also struggle to finish tasks or maintain focus for extended periods of time. In addition to vision issues, vascular dementia can occasionally result in hallucinations.
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Parkinson’s Condition
Dementia is a common complication of Parkinson’s disease. Problems with logic and judgement are early indicators of this type of dementia.
For instance, a person suffering from Parkinson’s disease dementia could struggle to comprehend visual information or recall how to carry out basic everyday duties. They might even have perplexing or terrifying hallucinations.
An individual with this form of dementia may also get agitated. As the illness worsens, a lot of people start to feel melancholy or paranoid. Others have difficulty communicating and may fumble through a sentence or lose their place in a discussion.
Frontotemporal Dementia
A group of dementias collectively referred to as frontotemporal dementia all have one thing in common: They only affect the front and side regions of the brain, which are responsible for language and behaviour.
Despite there being several kinds of this dementia, Pick’s disease is commonly used as a blanket term.
The onset of frontotemporal dementia can occur in individuals as early as 45. Although there is no known cause, the Alzheimer’s Society notes that it does run in families and that those who have it have mutations in particular genes.
Loss of inhibitions, motivation, and compulsive conduct are all symptoms of this dementia. Additionally, it makes people slur their words and lose the meaning of familiar terms.
Compared to Alzheimer’s, frontotemporal dementia may have more severe consequences on speech.
Mixed Dementia
When a person has more than one type of dementia, it is referred to as mixed dementia. Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia are the most typical combinations of mixed dementia, which is quite frequent.
The Jersey Alzheimer’s Association estimates that up to 45% of those who have dementia have mixed dementia but are unaware of it.
Distinct persons may experience different symptoms of mixed dementia. While some people first notice mood and behaviour changes, others first experience memory loss and disorientation.
As the condition advances, most people with mixed dementia will have trouble speaking and moving about.
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Huntington’s Disease
Dementia is brought on by Huntington’s disease, a genetic disorder. There are two kinds: adult onset and juvenile onset.
The less common juvenile variant manifests in early infancy or adolescence. A person usually experiences symptoms of the adult form for the first time in their 30s or 40s.
The illness results in the brain’s nerve cells breaking down too early, which can cause dementia as well as movement problems.
Huntington’s disease symptoms include jerky, poor movements, difficulties walking, and difficulty swallowing. Similar to most other forms of dementia, Huntington’s disease also exhibits symptoms of dementia, with mood swings, rage, and depression being particularly prevalent.