Hello everyone! Today, we want to talk to you a little bit about what dementia is, dementia symptoms, risk factors, different forms of dementia and common characteristics of different types, cognitive, behavior and functional changes in patients with dementia. It is common for almost everyone to forget things from time to time. For example, I have recently forgotten my keys in the door. My dad constantly keeps forgetting to take his phone,keys or glasses when going to work and comes back to take his belongings. My grandmother calls all other grandchilds' names to me until she says my actual name. :) Does my grandma have dementia? Will my father have dementia too? What about me? What is considered normal forgetfulness? Let's answer these questions. Dementia refers to a clinical syndrome. Being senile is an old-fashioned term for dementia used in Turkish. The term dementia derives from the Latin root, which means being out of one's mind. The brain changes associated with Alzheimer's are prominent. Following these complex changes and accumulations of neurofibrillary tangles, Dementia is usually chronic and progressive nature disease that leads to deterioration in cognitive functions including the domains of memory, language, thinking, orientation, ability to learn new information, planning the future, attention, problem solving and judgement. Progression of the disease can not be reversed but we can prevent the progression of Alzheimer's disease with treatment. We often say ' He is an old man and It's normal for him to forget things now'. We believe it is normal for an old man to forget a gas stove on or to think that his mother is still alive. Is there really such a thing as normal? When to be concerned about forgetfulness? How do you know when memory loss is serious? Dementia is not a part of normal aging, it is a consequence of brain disease. Considering forgetfulness as a natural part of aging sometimes delays the period from the onset of symptoms to the diagnosis of dementia and it cannot stop or reverse the disease. The expected "normal" decline with aging in some cognitive abilities, including memory, corresponds to age-adjusted levels of performance on neuropsychological tests. It is abnormal for an elderly person indicating social wellbeing to forget the names or have difficulty keeping track of their belongings. Family members start to suspect dementia following repetitive questions. .Having memory loss that disrupts the daily life or getting lost in familiar places is not a normal sign of aging. People showing age-associated memory-related impairment symptoms is completely independent in their daily life. Normal range is expected in healthy ageing for these people in neuropsychological test performance especially for recent memory tests. Not all people with memory problems have Alzheimer's. Dementia is chronic diseases with progressive deterioration of cognition, function, and behavior leading to limitations in the performance of basic activities of daily living, deterioration in social engagement and work life. So, Are all types of dementia the same? For example my neighbor's mother keeps running away from home, putting winter clothes on in summer months. She wanders by foot and can not find way her home. However my grandfather is not like her. He just sits and keeps talking about old times.He has no problem but for the left arm weakness. So, I wonder if we can consider my grandfather may not have dementia. The answer is No. Dementia is an umbrella term for a range of progressive conditions that affect the brain. There are several different forms of dementia and each has its own characteristics. It is important to know different types of dementia and its characteristics so as to know what caregivers are likely to face and what to expect from the patient living with dementia. While primary dementias are neurodegenerative diseases of the central nervous system such as Alzheimer's disease, Diffuse Lewy body disease, and fronto-temporal dementia, secondary dementias occur during the neurological or psychiatric disease and vascular dementia is one of them. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia, accounting for 60 to 80 percent of cases. Memory complaints, speech difficulties, problems with orientation are prominent. Short-term memory impairments such as forgetting names of people and objects, confusion about time and place, difficulty with familiar tasks, making decisions, communicating and finding words, concentration problems, failure to plan ahead, failure to solve problems of everyday life, impaired judgment and abstract thinking, repetition of questions and topics, mood, behavior, and personality changes can be experienced. Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is is a neurodegenerative disease that usually occurs between the ages of 60 and 90.producing progressive cognitive decline that interferes with normal life and daily activities. About one-fifth of cases coexist with features of Parkinson's disease. It has an insidious onset, chronic and progressive course like Alzheimer's disease, and it causes memory disorders as well as visual hallucinations, shuffling walk, resting tremors, and sleep disorders like excessive daytime sleepiness. Repeated falls for no reason, brief loss of consciousness, and fluctuation of attention are prominent. Autonomic disorders such as urinary incontinence, constipation, orthostatic hypotension may also be observed in the early stages of the disease. Fronto-temporal dementia typically presents with progressive behavior change and progressive language disorder, personality changes. Memory problems are not typically one of the first signs of the disease. Early signs go unnoticed, people use fewer words than in the past. Patients exhibit behavioral disinhibition even in the early stage of the disease. Socially inappropriate behavior examples are touching or kissing strangers, inappropriate sexual advancements towards others. Hyperorality can be explained by putting inedible objects into the mouth or ingestion of inedible substances. Some changes in eating patterns may occur like craving sweet, fatty foods or carbohydrates. They may also no longer know when to stop eating, drinking alcohol or smoking. Loss of empathy which means the ability to understand the underlying causes of feelings, thoughts and behaviors of others may occur. Patients may engage in perseverative, stereotyped, or ritualistic behaviors. Some behaviors include ritualized behaviors act of repeating something, such as words or actions over and over again. Vascular dementia is the second most common cause of dementia after AD. The term is used to describe cognitive change associated with any cerebrovascular disease. Risk factors include male gender and a history of stroke. The onset of vascular dementia is usually sudden and focal neurological signs are observed. Cognitive impairment commonly occurs in the acute phase and plateaus between strokes and a new stroke cause further deterioration. Vascular dementia symptoms vary depending on the part of the brain where blood flow is impaired, visual problems, difficulty in understanding speech, disorientation, memory problems, weakness in the muscles of one half of the body, which we call hemiparesis. Strokes don't always cause vascular dementia. Can I prevent Dementia? Will I get dementia if my mother has it? I'm frequently forgetting things. How can I prevent forgetfulness ? What should I do to avoid forgetting? What should I do to fight memory loss? How can I improve my memory? Let's have a look at the answers... As in many diseases, risk factors in AD are divided into two as modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors. Non-modifiable risk factors are age, sex, and genetics. These are later life (65+), being female, family history (dementia, Parkinson's, motor neuron disease, depression, psychosis, alcoholism), family history of Down Syndrome, low education, history of head trauma, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases (hypertension, ischemic heart disease, high cholesterol levels, obesity, stroke), diabetes, endocrine-metabolic disorders (Vitamin D, B6, B12, folic acid deficiencies, hypo-hyperglycemia, hypothyroidism, electrolyte disorders), chronic infectious-autoimmune-inflammatory diseases (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Rheumatoid arthritis, Behçet's disease, syphilis...),depression, inactive life and unhealthy eating habits, cigarette smoking, excessive alcohol consumption and sleep disturbance. Electro-magnetic field exposure is also another risk factor for dementia. Electricians, repairmen, switchboard operators, technicians, welders, carpenters, tailors are at risk for exposure to extreme low frequency electromagnetic fields. Modifiable risk factors may be comorbid conditions that complicate dementia and that can be controlled. Controlling modifiable risk factors may have positive effects on disease progression. The Mediterranean diet, a diet rich in grains, vegetables, fruits, cheese, milk, especially fish, olive oil, and red wine, is a protective factor against dementia. Mental and physical activities delay cognitive decline in older persons with dementia. It has been shown that an average of one year regular exercise program not only stops the brain hippocampus loss, but also increases it by 2%. Numerous studies have revealed that older people who engage in mental activities such as reading, doing artistic activities, playing games have a lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. It can be assumed that cholesterol-lowering drugs, antihypertensives and antidiabetics may be protective against dementia through the control of vascular risk factors. Accepting a doctor's recommendation and taking the medication as prescribed is necessary. What do you do if you suspect dementia in a family member? Should we let things flow naturally forward? How does the process proceed if we do so? When should you seek help for dementia? Who can diagnose dementia? Which branch of medicine is specialized in this kind of disorders? Who makes dementia diagnosis? How is dementia diagnosed? Why is it important to get dementia diagnosed? Can you get benefits for dementia? What changes occur? These are some the questions that's been bothering you for some time. We all have answers to find. If you suspect that a loved one is experiencing symptoms of dementia, you may get help from psychiatrists and neurologists. Getting a diagnosis of dementia can give you a better understanding of the condition and what to expect. Both pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions can be used to support patients with dementia. Even though many cognitive tests, blood tests and imaging methods are used in diagnosing dementia, the observation of the clinician is more important. A neurological exam is used to help find out if there is any intracranial complications. Neuropsychological evaluations are used to assess individual's strengths and weaknesses on cognitive functions, behavior, sensory-motor functions. Diagnosis is supported by blood and brain scan tests. The dementia disease has an insidious onset starting with memory loss and slow progression reaching the stage of dementia after about twenty years however we know there is a pre-clinical stage before a pre-dementia clinical stage. The patient and a close relative cannot give clear information about when the first complaints have started. Changes in brain cells in the preclinical period may go on but memory problems are not evident yet. Significantly poor performance is observed in neuropsychological examination, mostly in memory. In mild cognitive impairment stage, there are more problems with memory however, it is seen that these problems do not adversely affect the independence of the person yet. In other words, the patient's functionality does not deteriorate. However, they show significantly low performance in neurocognitive tests. In dementia, symptoms such as memory problems, difficulty in finding words, and visual/spatial problems are at a level that impairs the individual's ability to function independently, and it is the last stage of the disease. When the functionality has been impaired, we can talk about the stage of AD dementia (AHD), which is divided into mild, moderate and severe sub-stages. In the mild dementia stage, the independence of the person at work and outside the home begins to deteriorate, In the middle stage, the patient has completely lost his/her independence outside the home and they find it hard to carry out familiar daily tasks and personal care. People with severe Alzheimer's are completely dependent on others for their care. Not letting the process go, and consulting a doctor from the first moment the symptoms are noticed prevents the disease from progressing to the next stages by catching the disease at an early stage and starting treatment at an early stage. In Chapter 2, we will be talking about the changes brought about by dementia. See you on the next podcast with those who wants to learn, bye!