What does Dementia mean ?

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What does Dementia mean ?

Dementia is a group of symptoms that affect memory, thinking, and social skills. Dementia is not a single disease. Rather there are many types. Alzheimer’s dementia, the most common type, is responsible for approximately 60% to 80% of all dementias. Vascular dementia caused by a stroke is the second most common type of dementia.

As a word meaning, dementia is derived from the Latin word mens, meaning mind. Dementia means the loss of the mind. However, dementias, especially Alzheimer’s dementia, do not occur suddenly, symptoms appear gradually and are progressive. Some dementias occur due to a lack of a substance in the body or the side effect of a substance or drug. These types of dementia are generally not progressive and reversible.

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What does Dementia mean ?

Dementia is a set of symptoms caused by brain disorders that negatively affect behavior, thinking and the ability to perform daily activities. Dementia, which hinders the performance of daily activities as a result of decreased mental skills, negatively affects memory, language skills, reasoning and attention skills. Here is some information about dementia
In many forms of dementia, some nerve cells in the brain stop working, lose their connection with other cells and die. Dementia usually progresses. That is, the disease spreads gradually in the brain and the symptoms seen in the person worsen over time.

Dementia is frequently confused with Alzheimer’s among the people. Alzheimer’s is the disease that causes dementia. The reason for its occurrence is the abnormal behavior of several proteins. These proteins affect brain functions and deactivate some regions. These are brain units that are closely related to memory and coordination.

In a person with dementia; impairments are seen in functions such as memory, thinking, reasoning, determination of place and time, reading comprehension, speaking, and doing simple daily tasks. These disruptions in intellectual functions make it impossible for the patient to continue daily life activities over time. This situation requires that all the daily needs of the patient, such as washing and eating, be met by someone else.

In the normal aging process, brain functions decline a little, but not all elderly people have symptoms of dementia. The best distinguishing criterion for this is that one can do his / her work without help. Dementia should be considered in patients who need help even for daily living activities (eating, dressing, cleaning, etc.) even though they do not have a physical illness. Most of the elderly complain that their memory is not as good as before. For example, they have difficulty remembering names and jobs. This does not mean dementia.

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Who suffers from Dementia ?

Dementia occurs in about 15% of people over the age of 65. The incidence of the disease increases with age. Dementia is seen in one of every two elderly people in their 80s. In particular, his close memory becomes weaker and he begins to forget about daily chores, such as conversations and things to buy from the market. But not all forgetfulness is a symptom of dementia. For example, if your mother forgets to offer you the cake she baked, this is forgetfulness. But if he forgets that he is cooking the cake, there is a serious problem. One or two such events in daily life should not worry you, but if there is an increasing tendency in forgetfulness events, it would be appropriate to consult a physician.

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What is Dementia ?

Dementia is a condition of inadequacy due to illness in mental functions such as memory and language abilities, abstract thinking and judgment. The incidence of dementia gradually increases as the human life extends, and it is the leading cause of disability in people over 60. While the risk is 5% at the age of 65, the risk doubles every 5 years, reaching 40-50% over the age of 85. It is a known fact that older people often complain of forgetfulness. Although this condition is considered by elderly relatives as a natural consequence of aging, forgetfulness may have many medical reasons. Alzheimer’s disease, which is the most common cause of dementia, is one of the important causes of forgetfulness in the elderly. However, there are 200 different types of diseases that cause dementia because they weaken the brain.

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What does Dementia mean ?

Dementia is the holistic name for a group of symptoms caused by disorders that affect the brain, but it is not a specific disease. People with dementia may find it difficult to do normal activities such as dressing or eating. They may lose their ability to resolve problems or control their emotions. They may change their personalities, become suddenly angry, or see things that are not there. Memory loss is a common symptom of dementia.

However, memory loss alone doesn’t mean you have dementia. Dementia patients have serious problems with brain function such as memory and language. Although dementia is common in older people, it is not a natural consequence of aging.

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What is the relationship between Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease ?

Alzheimer’s constitutes 50-75% of all dementia patients. In this disease, where distant memory (memory about past events) is preserved and memory processes related to recent times are impaired, there is difficulty in learning and recording new information. For example, while the patient can easily tell a memory of 30 years ago, he may forget what he had eaten for breakfast the day before. He may not be able to find the place where he put his belongings, he may not remember the names of familiar people, and he may not recognize human faces over time.