People once thought that dementia is normal and natural part of aging, but that is not completely true. Many studies have pointed out that lots of different factors like injuries and other medical conditions can also contribute towards occurrence of dementia, regardless of the age.
Dementia can be described more like a syndrome than like a disease. Syndrome involves several symptoms that can occur all at once or over some time period. Most of the dementia cases are related to the age, which means they occur in senior citizens. Symptoms usually appear when the person`s cognitive functions are getting weaker. Long and short term memory is affected, as well as the ability for proper reasoning and understanding information.
Dementia can be classified based on which area of the nervous system has been affected – cerebral cortex or the structures in the sub-cortex. Cerebral cortex is the outer part of the brain. This area is responsible for processing and storing information. Structures of the sub-cortex are responsible with activities like eating, walking or controlling the hands. One type of sub-cortical dementia is the Parkinson disease which happens when the cognitive functioning declines.
Dementia can also be categorized based on the cause. For example, metabolic dementia happens when there is a problem in the way the person`s body is using the hormones that are produced in the adrenal or thyroid glands. Positive thing about this type of dementia is that can be properly treated, if detected early.
Another reason for dementia is the exposure to toxins that come from heavy metals. These include mercury, thallium or lead. They can enter the brain through consumption of suspicious food or drinking toxic water.
Last type of dementia is the one that appears after an infection or some kind of illness. However, there are many powerful antibiotics and other types of medicaments that can ease the symptoms of this kind of dementia. Also, thanks to the various immunizations that people usually take during their childhood, appearance of dementia through some kind of illness or infection is extremely rare.
Most of the dementia types cannot be healed or cured. However, regularly taking proper medication in combination with healthy lifestyle can slow down dementia symptoms. People that start to feel the initial dementia stages should consult their doctor to find out about possible treatments with prescription drugs. Also, having a proper diet, living a healthy life together with more active social life can significantly delay the progress of dementia.
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