What Are the Causes of Senile Dementia?
According to the Alzheimer's Association there are approximately 5.3 million people with Alzheimer's disease and related senile dementias in the United States and over 27 million worldwide suffering from these conditions.
The cost of senile dementia care is estimated to be $315.4 billion annually.
There are more than 50 conditions that result in senile dementia. One person can have more than one form of senile dementia.
Discussed here are the more common causes of senile dementia.
Vascular dementia is much less likely to occur in individuals who practice healthy lifestyle habits.
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Definition
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Senile dementia is not a specific disease, but rather a group of symptoms that are caused by changes in the functioning of the brain. There are many and varied symptoms that have to do with cognition. Cognition refers to the act of thinking, perceiving, and learning. Cognitive functions that may be affected are decision making, judgment, memory, spatial orientation, thinking, reasoning, and communication.Behavior and personality changes are likely to occur depending on what areas of the brain are affected. Most senile dementias are much more likely to happen in old age.
Alzheimer's Disease
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Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of senile dementia. It accounts for almost half of all cases. It is, at least in part, a genetic disorder. Its hallmark is the formation of amyloid plaques and neurofibratory tangles. As these abnormal proteins increase in number, brain cells are destroyed, and therefore new memories cannot be formed. As the disease progresses, the abnormal proteins spread to more parts of the brain, causing more cell death and more severe memory loss and brain malfunction.
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Vascular Dementia
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The second most common cause of senile dementia is vascular dementia. It is also called mullti-infarct dementia. This type accounts for about one third of all dementias. In this dementia, the arteries in the brain harden because of fatty deposits and accumulation of other debris. This in turn causes blockage of blood flow. The cells of the brain do not get the oxygen they need, and they die. Other diseases and conditions ,such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, and diabetes, can increase the memory loss associated with this dementia.
Very often there is a combination of Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia.
Frontotemporal Lobe Dementias
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It is estimated that frontotemporal lobe dementia accounts for about 10% of all senile dementias. The damage, as the name suggests, is in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. One particular type of this dementia is Pick's Disease. It is causeed by an increased number of Pick Bodies in the brain. These bodies cause cell death. As this and other frontotemporal lobe dementias progress, socially inappropriate behavior increases. Language is lost as more cells in these lobes of the brain die off.
Lewy Body and Parkinson's Dementia
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Lewy body dementia is caused by abnormal microscopic deposits of protein, called Lewy bodies, in nerve cells. These deposits destroy the cells in the brain over time. Lewy body dementia is more likely to cause deficits in thinking, attention, and concentration rather than in memory and language.
Parkinson's disease is a common neurodegenerative movement disorder that affects about 1% of people over 60 years of age. It causes dementia is in about 40% of people with this disease. It is also a type of Lewy body dementia The part of the brain that is affected is responsible for decision-making, judgement, and visual perception. Memory stays intact until late in the disease.
Reversible Dementias
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Reversible causes of senile dementia can be cured, at least partially, by treating the underlying disorder. Chronic drug abuse, removable tumors, subdural hematomas, normal-pressure hydrocephalus, vitamin B12 and other vitamin deficiencies, hypothyroidism, and hypoglycemia can all be effectively treated. This is why it is important to do a complete workup of anyone who is thought to have senile dementia.
Prevention/Solution
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Some irreversible senile dementias like Alzheimer's disease, which have a genetic component, cannot be prevented. The onset of this disease can be delayed by avoiding or quitting smoking, eating a healthy diet, and keeping mentally and physically active.
Even folks who already have Alzheimer's disease benefit from doing these things.
Drug therapy slows Alzheimer's disease, but eventually the disease progresses despite all possible interventions
Vascular dementia can probably be prevented by following the same plan. If a good diet and moderate exercise do not control the underlying health issues associated with the onset of vascular dementia, then medications to treat these health problems are essential to avoid or lessen the severity of vascular dementia.
Lewy body and frontotemporal lobe dementia cannot be prevented either. Even worse, the symptoms can only somewhat be managed with medication. There is no good effective treatment.
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Resources
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