Dementia is a several diseases that affect the ability to perform daily activities by affecting cognitive function. Cognitive function includes the way a person remembers, reasoning, problem-solving, language and other thinking abilities. Dementia can greatly affect a person’s ability to live on their own and often need assistance from others. Currently more than 55 million people have dementia. Dementia can result from a variety of diseases that affect the brain. There is medicine that could help to treat dementia such as Exelon patch.
Dementia is a general term used to describe a condition of a person with impairment of cognitive function that is severe to the extent of interfering with their daily life. Dementia affects about one-third of the population aged 85 and above. It is worth noting that dementia is not part of a normal ageing process although statistically it shows most dementia patients are the elderly. In general, dementia is caused by damages to or changes in the brain. The main cause of dementia is the damage to or changes in the brain. The most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is caused by the abnormal build-up proteins of amyloid and tau. Amyloid build-up around the brain cells causes plaques whereas tau form “tangles” within the brain cells. Other causes of dementia include:
1) Vascular dementia. Dementia that occurs due to microscopic bleeding and blood vessel blockage in the brain such as those with hypertension, severe hardening of the arteries or small strokes.
2) Parkinson’s disease. Dementia that occurs about 10 years after Parkinson’s disease is diagnosed.
3) Dementia with Lewy bodies. Lewy bodies are tiny clumps of a protein known as alpha-synuclein that damages the way the brain works and eventually leads to death of brain cells. It is often associated with Parkinson’s disease.
4) Frontotemporal dementia. Also known as Pick’s disease, this dementia affects younger people between the ages 45 to 65 years old. It is caused by tau in the frontal and temporal lobes of the front and sides of the brain.
5) Severe head injury.
These are the most common causes of dementia. Rare causes include Huntington’s disease, multiple sclerosis, leukoencephalopathies, infections, progressive supranuclear palsy and corticobasal degeneration. Dementia could also be inherited but this is a rare case. Inherited dementia is often suspected when someone younger than 50 has dementia symptoms.
Since dementia can be caused by many causes, symptoms of dementia also vary greatly. However, common dementia symptoms can give clues that a person is experiencing dementia. Common symptoms are short-term memory, difficulty concentrating, difficulty to perform familiar daily tasks, struggling to keep up with a conversation, lost track of time or place and mood changes. These symptoms initially start off with mild symptoms but as time goes on, it will get worse leading to dementia. When a person experiences these symptoms in a mild manner, they might not be labelled with dementia immediately and the right term for these symptoms is “mild cognitive impairment” (MCI). People with MCI may or may not resort to dementia. Hence, dementia is not a natural part of the ageing process because MCI itself might actually remain the same and not progress to the worst.
There is no cure for dementia. Treatment available aims to slow down the dementia process and to help improve symptoms. Treatments depend on the causes of dementia. In general, medication such as cholinesterase inhibitors like donepezil and NMDA receptor antagonist like memantine is prescribed. Medicines such as antihypertensive drugs may be prescribed for vascular dementia. Usage of antidepressants may be prescribed in those with severe depression symptoms living with dementia.
Since the Exelon patch is mentioned on the top of this article, you might be wondering what it has to do with dementia. The Exelon patch contains rivastigmine. This active ingredient helps to improve the brain cognitive function such as memory, alertness and learning skills. By improving cognitive function, a person’s ability to perform basic daily tasks may be restored and this will aid patients in coping with their daily life. Rivastigmine also helps to increase another brain chemical known as acetylcholine. The increased level of acetylcholine leads to more brain cells and nerve cells to communicate well. Rivastigmine itself is an acetylcholine inhibitor that prevents enzymes of acetylcholinesterase from breaking down acetylcholine. This helps to increase the level of acetylcholine in the brain.
Apart from medicine, people with dementia should take steps in maintaining a healthy lifestyle of being physically active, practising good eating habits and to take part in activities that help improve their cognitive function. They should also stay socially active by keeping in touch with people and engaging in social activities. They should also get regular medical check-ups.
Dementia is more than just impairment of cognitive function and ability to live a normal daily life. Dementia often quickly progresses to severe one especially when it is not treated well. It is important to tackle dementia as dementia is the seventh leading cause of death and plays a major part in the disability and dependency.