Dementia, a disease that slowly erases ‘me’
▲ Distinguishing between dementia and forgetfulness, page 22. Dementia, called the ‘enemy of the aging society’, refers to a decline in intellectual ability, including memory, that interferes with daily life. According to the Central Dementia Center, the number of dementia patients aged 65 or older last year is estimated at approximately 935,086. This figure amounts to 1 in 10 people over the age of 65. Broadening the scope to those aged 85 or older, 4 out of 10 people suffer from dementia, which means that the frequency of dementia doubles for every 5-year increase in age.
Dementia is a serious disease that is considered one of the four major causes of death among Koreans, following cancer, stroke, and heart disease. Recently, there are many cases where dementia develops at a relatively young age, under 65 years of age. ‘Younger dementia’ tends to worsen more quickly than dementia that occurs in old age.
●50-60% of domestic patients have ‘neurodegenerative’
50-60% of dementia patients in Korea suffer from neurodegenerative dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. It is known that 20 to 30% of vascular dementia is caused by blood circulation disorders in the brain, such as stroke or stroke, and the remaining 10 to 30% is caused by other causes.
Lim Jae-seong, a professor of neurology at Asan Medical Center in Seoul, said on the 14th, “Alzheimer-type dementia often occurs after the age of 65, and is characterized by a very slow onset and gradual progression.” He added, “The main symptom is the lack of orientation to identify place or time. He explained, “There are neurocognitive dysfunctions such as (the ability to correctly recognize time, place, situation or environment), language impairment, visual and spatial grasping dysfunction, frontal lobe performance impairment, etc.” ▲ Dementia self-diagnosis page 22 Also, from the early stages. If a person is accompanied by a mood disorder such as depression, they may show emotional changes, such as easily getting angry over trivial things. As the disease progresses, delusions that believe things that are not true to be true, hallucinations of seeing things in vain, obsession with food or money, or behavioral changes such as picking up specific items may occur.
It starts slowly and progresses gradually. Causes impairment in recognition of features, language, and understanding of space and time. Leads to behavioral changes such as hallucinations and obsession. Effective for consistent brain activity such as careful reading, high blood pressure, excessive drinking, etc. starting in the 40s and 50s.
●Important distinction between forgetfulness and early dementia
Dementia does not appear suddenly one day, but progresses over several years and presents several precursory symptoms. Therefore, it is important to distinguish between forgetfulness that comes from normal aging and mild cognitive impairment, which is the early stage of dementia. The question is whether I know first about forgetting or whether someone else knows first.
Unlike amnesia, in which a person remembers the entire event but forgets the details, dementia causes the person to forget the event itself or not remember extensive parts of the event. Also, forgetfulness has the characteristic of remembering when given a hint, but dementia has the characteristic of not remembering even when given a hint. If symptoms worsen rapidly over time, you should suspect a degenerative brain disease that causes dementia. Most people who suffer from forgetfulness recognize their memory decline and try to compensate for it, but dementia patients tend to be unaware of their memory decline or to deny it.
Kim Han-gyeol, professor of neurology at Gangnam Severance Hospital, said, “Various causes such as depression, drug use, lung disease, etc. can cause mild cognitive impairment, and according to some studies, about 30 to 50% can recover to normal.” “The disorder may be in the early stages of a degenerative brain disease, so testing is necessary,” he said.
When diagnosing Alzheimer’s dementia, it is important for the guardian who knows the patient best to accurately explain the patient’s symptoms. Compared to before, it is necessary to check whether there are any changes in cognitive function, including memory, and if so, when and in what way they appeared, and to make a diagnosis through an accurate examination. Tests include cognitive function tests to determine how much abnormality exists in which cognitive area, blood tests, and brain imaging tests to determine what caused the problem.
In general, academic circles believe that if you are older or have a family history, you are more likely to develop dementia. If you are exposed to toxic substances that affect cerebral function, such as aluminum, for a long period of time, the toxic substances may accumulate in the brain and cause dementia. There are also research results showing that people who are easily stressed or have an impatient personality are prone to dementia. Drinking alcohol and smoking are also considered major risk factors for dementia.
●Women, be careful as your brain weight decreases faster
Kim Hee-jin, a professor of neurology at Hanyang University Hospital, said, “After the age of 60, women have a higher rate of brain weight loss than men, and the female hormone estrogen decreases, which can cause dementia.” He added, “Since they were young, they were exceptionally stubborn and did not forgive others well or were inflexible. “People who don’t have it show more symptoms of dementia,” he said.
According to recent academic research, it is known that the dementia process begins before the age of 40. Therefore, appropriate risk factor management is necessary at each stage starting from adolescence. When entering middle age in your 40s and 50s, it is helpful to be careful of head trauma and control high blood pressure, excessive drinking, and obesity. Social isolation and depression should be avoided during old age, when the incidence is highest. Experts advise that it is important to continue to engage in social activities and meet and communicate with people on a regular basis.
Regular exercise can reduce inflammatory processes in the central nervous system and reduce oxidative damage to brain cells. In addition, many brain nutritional factors are produced, which help protect and grow brain cells and promote blood circulation in the brain. Just 30 minutes of light walking every day can lower your risk of dementia.
Professor Kim Hee-jin said, “Continuing brain activity such as reading books or newspapers for at least an hour a day, playing chess or baduk, or memorizing 100 names of mountains or friends three times is effective in preventing dementia,” adding, “Promoting mental and physical stability through religious life.” “It is good to maintain ongoing relationships with like-minded friends, including people younger than you.”
●If the blood vessels in the brain become narrowed and blocked, it is called ‘vascular dementia’
Vascular dementia, which accounts for about half of dementia patients in Korea, is often caused by narrowing and blockage of cerebral blood vessels, preventing the proper supply of oxygen and nutrients to the brain, so blood vessels must be kept clean from a young age.
Professor Yoon Young-cheol of the Department of Neurology at Chung-Ang University Hospital said, “The way to prevent vascular dementia is to eliminate causes that can cause blood vessels to become dirty, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, heart disease, smoking, obesity, and lack of exercise.” He added, “After the age of 40, blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol “It is a good idea to check the numbers frequently and for those with risk factors to visit a hospital regularly for check-ups,” he advised.
Reporter Eunjoo Lee
2023-11-14 17:09:33
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