Dementia: Understanding the Silent Memory Thief

Published: 02.11.2021 v tipy pre opatrovateľky

The very term dementia (de mentia) comes from Latin and refers to "something that has lost its mind, departing in spirit." As the name suggests, the intellectual abilities of a person affected by this disease diminish. Usually, the patient's memory is affected first, initially short-term and later long-term. There is a disorder of orientation, whether temporal or spatial, logical reasoning is weakened, and emotional stability deteriorates. The disease can seriously disrupt the social life of the affected person, especially if depression or signs of aggression appear within the framework of dementia.

Causes of Dementia

Among the most well-known and frequent causes of this disease are degenerative brain diseases, such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease, head injury, various infections, impaired blood vessels, respiratory and cardiovascular systems, or vitamin deficiencies.

Prevention

Diagnosis and Treatment Options

The appropriate treatment plan is primarily determined based on the type of dementia and the extent of damage. Dementia is most commonly diagnosed through psychological or psychiatric examination, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or CT scan, and the patient also undergoes blood tests.

In the next edition of our blog, we will focus on the diagnosis of diabetes, also known as cukrovka in our region. If you have diabetes yourself or have encountered it in your patients, and you wish to share your experiences with this condition, we would be pleased if you contact us at our email address blog@alses.sk, and we will publish the best advice.