Saturday, July 13, 2013

What is Dementia? News-Medical.net article

What is Dementia?: Types of dementia



Dementia may be of 100 different types. Some of them include:



Alzheimer’s disease is where small clumps of protein, known as plaques, begin to develop around brain cells. This may lead to severe loss of memory over time.

Another type is vascular dementia where there are problems in the blood supply to the brain. The brain does not receive adequate oxygen.

Dementia with Lewy bodies is another form of dementia where small abnormal structures, known as Lewy bodies, develop inside the brain.

Frontotemporal dementia is said to occur when frontal and temporal lobes (two parts of the brain) start shrinking. This may occur in individuals under 65 years of age. It is much rarer than other types of dementia.



Dementia and other disorders



Sometimes dementia may be accompanied by other mental disorders like mood swings, anxiety and depression and confusion.



Many other illnesses can cause dementia. These may include viral infections such as HIV, Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease, chronic heavy alcohol intake, Huntington's disease, progressive supranuclear palsy and normal pressure hydrocephalus, Multiple sclerosis and Motor neurone disease.

Prognosis or outlook of dementia



There is no cure for dementia. In most patients the symptoms worsen over time.



 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=6q-H1-XwCZA