Early warning signs of dementia: what I recommend to watch out for

Dementia or dementia is recognized to call such conditions when a person's thought processes are disturbed, for example, he may lose memory, lose his existing skills, including self-care, or completely degrade.

Lately this is often talked about. And I was interested in this question, I decided to look for material not only on the Internet, but also in scientific literature. Here's what I learned.

Age

I was very saddened by the fact that earlier dementia began in people in old age, but today the disease affects relatively young people.

I learned that the disease can manifest itself not only due to neurological and mental pathologies. Often the cause is brain injury from childhood. But the worst thing is that dementia cannot be completely cured.

In recent years, early dementia begins at the age of 35, in some cases even earlier. The only thing that pleases a little is that at a young age no more than 15% of their 48 million suffer from dementia in the world. registered patients.

Causes of early dementia

I learned that the person himself is most often to blame for the development of dementia. Alcoholics, drug addicts, people who smoke a large number of cigarettes per day are especially susceptible to the disease. But what surprised me most of all was the fact that there are many gambling addicts among those with dementia.

But most often people are susceptible to the disease, according to the following indications:

• there is not enough vitamin B12, B3 and folic acid in the body;
• suffered a heart attack, stroke;
• suffer from multiple atherosclerosis;
• after serious infections;
• have problems with the thyroid gland;
• diabetes.

Dementia can be not only acquired, but sometimes hereditary. In my family, thank God, no one suffered from such a disease.

Signs and symptoms of early dementia

When I found out about the seriousness of the disease, I started looking for how to find out about the disease, more precisely, what are the symptoms at the early stage of dementia. I realized that sometimes dementia is confused with simple memory impairment. That is why it is not always possible to understand that the disease has begun to manifest itself.

Typically, people in the early stages of dementia:

• lose memory, may not be able to navigate in time and space;
• are prone to stress and depression, it is difficult to get out of this state;

• cannot focus on one thing, therefore, interest in work and hobbies disappears;
• except for stuttering (which was not there before!), they begin to be afraid of everything for no apparent reason;
• they find it difficult to communicate, often become rude and aggressive.

I also learned that people who develop dementia can be dangerous not only for themselves, but also for others. After all, they do not always understand what they are doing.

But the worst thing that I managed to understand is that the disease cannot be cured, it is only possible to suspend the process of dementia a little. At a late stage of the disease, people cannot take care of themselves, they need constant care

Diagnostics

Only a psychiatrist can determine the disease, therefore, at the first signs of inadequacy, you need to contact a specialist. The signal of illness for doctors is not only problems with memory, speech, but also disorders of motor skills, lack of social adaptation.

The patient will be assigned additional examinations, various tests. If the disease is diagnosed in a timely manner and the correct treatment is started (in no case self-medication!), Then you can live a full life with dementia.

Prevention of dementia in young people

I have not only children, but also grandchildren, I do not want them to develop this incurable disease. Therefore, without naming the reasons, I will begin to follow their habits, lifestyle. If necessary, I will correct it for prevention.

Oddly enough, but my family, including my husband, did not attack me with fists when I started forcing them to play sports, instead of lying on the couch and endless sitting at the computer.

Nobody in my family is fond of alcohol, they don't smoke tobacco. But I had to fight with food. My household does not want to get rid of bad food habits: smoked meats, pickles, spicy foods and sweets, no, no, and they appear on the table. But, as they say, if you really want to, you can do a little.

For the development of memory, we began to memorize poems, songs, we play various intellectual games. But most importantly, we pass the tests in a timely manner at the polyclinic.

Have you ever had dementia in your family?