Dementia Causes and Risk factors

  • Dementia
    is a broad term for a range of conditions that involve loss of mental ability and so cause problems with memory, language, behaviour and emotions. Dementia is most common in the elderly. Around five percent of people over the age of 65 are affected to some extent.  According to Alzheimer’s Disease International with increasing life expectancy, this is expected to surge to 75.6 million in 2030. Disease awareness and understanding is a huge challenge  
Submitted by PatientsEngage on 19 September 2015

What causes Dementia

The most common cause is Alzheimer's disease, which accounts for up to 60% of all cases. Alzheimer's disease is caused by the destruction of certain brain cells leading to the loss of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Vascular dementia, which occurs after a stroke, is the second most common dementia type. But there are many other conditions that can cause symptoms of dementia, such as thyroid problems and vitamin B complex deficiencies. Dementia can also be caused by excessive alcohol intake.

Are you at risk of developing Dementia

Risk factors include:

• Increasing age: As you age, the risks of Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia and several other dementias greatly increase, especially after the age of 65. However, dementia isn't a normal part of ageing, and dementia can occur in younger people.

• Positive family history: If you have a family history of dementia, your risk goes up by approximately 20-25%. It can be an inherited condition and the gene responsible is the amyloid precursor protein gene (APP)

• Poorly managed high blood pressure

• Brain injury

• Brain tumours

• High cholesterol

• Atherosclerosis: This build-up of fats and other substances in and on your artery walls (plaques) can reduce blood flow to your brain and lead to stroke. Reduced blood flow to your brain can cause vascular dementia. Some research shows there may be an association between blood vessel (vascular) conditions and Alzheimer's disease.

• Diabetes

• Smoking

• Poor diet 

• Excessive alcohol intake

• Vitamin B 12 deficiency

• Down syndrome: By middle age, many people with Down syndrome develop the plaques and tangles in the brain that are associated with Alzheimer's disease. Some may develop dementia.

Community
Alzheimer's and Dementia
Condition
Dementia

Stories

  • Still Alice: A Review from an Alzheimer’s CareGiver
    A review of "Still Alice" by Ekta Hattangady, from India who was 13 when her mother was diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer's at 43. Ekta became her Primary Caregiver at the age of 16. My final verdict would be…it’s a great movie. It’s not reality. Not every person with Alzheimer’s would be like this…some may be a lot worse…especially in the case of Early Onset Dementia.  Everything you saw in this movie, multiply it by 10,000 times and then you may be somewhere close to what it is like…
  • Common anticholinergic drugs like Benadryl, Nytol linked to increased dementia risk
    Nytol, Benadryl, Ditropan and Piriton among the medications identified by scientists as raising likelihood of dementia A report published online this week in JAMA Internal Medicine offers compelling evidence of a link between long-term use of anticholinergic medications like Benadryl and dementia. Anticholinergic drugs block the action of acetylcholine. This substance transmits messages in the nervous system. In the brain, acetylcholine is involved in learning and memory. In the…
  • A stock pic of an elderly person being cared for
    Its ok to cry and laugh, to take time out for yourself
    This touching and poignant documentary – “Portraits of Care” –  looks at the lives of four amazing Caregivers and gives a rare glimpse into the realities of long-term care in India. A husband as caregiver, a wife as caregiver, daughters as caregivers The caregivers share the issues with home care agencies, dealing with absent and interfering relatives, caregiver stress and the financial challenges How to take time out for yourself, how to deal with your anger and frustration…
  • Old photos helping trigger memories in people with dementia
    Pictures taken by a little-known photographer between the 1930s and 1960s have found a new use helping to trigger memories and reminiscences among people with dementia. "In the dementia care world reminiscence is up there as one of the leading groups of therapeutic approaches," explains Prof Bob Woods, an expert in the clinical psychology of older people at Bangor University. "Essentially it's a good way of facilitating communication, and so it helps people to feel more socially integrated and…
  • A Marriage to Remember - a filmmaker explores how Alzheimer’s disease has revealed the strength of his parents’ marriage
     "The experience of caring for someone with Alzheimer's can be incredibly isolating, at a time when you need support the most. We are grateful that this process has helped us come together as a family and as a community to celebrate that most precious gift of all : our memories"   http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/26/opinion/a-marriage-to-remember.html?emc=edit_th_20140826&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=53809129&_r=0    
  • Extended use of sleeping pills linked to Alzheimer's
    Taking the drugs known as benzodiazepines, which include diazepam and lorazepam, for three months or more was linked with a greater chance of being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease five years later. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/11083674/Sleeping-pills-ta… For our community's tips on sleeping please check out http://www.patientsengage.com/?q=discussions/are-you-sleeping-well-what-works-you  
  • Understanding Dementia
    This gives you an understanding of what is Dementia, who are affected by it, symptoms of various stages and what you can do ...http://alz.org.sg/about-dementia/understanding-dementia
  • Vitamin D deficiency increases risk of Dementia
    In a population-based study of its kind, a team of researchers has found a link between vitamin D consumption and the risk of developing dementia. Older people who do not get enough vitamin D could double their risk of developing the condition. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/280704.php
  • Powerful Self-Portraits Reveal Artist's Descent Into Alzheimer's Disease
    Utermohlen's self-portraits provide a stark look at the devastating effects of Alzheimer's. As the artist struggled to keep in touch with the world around him, his works became flatter, more abstract, with a new loss of details and spatial sense. By 2000, Utermohlen's memory and technical skills had deteriorated to the point where his heartbreaking portrayal of himself was simply a scribbled skull and the barest shadows of facial features. http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/william-…
  • Caring for someone with Dementia
     Family members, friends, and colleagues want to support persons with dementia, but are unsure how to proceed. Swapna Kishore, who was a dementia caregiver for well over a decade, offers guidance and insights.  http://swapnawrites.wordpress.com/2014/04/29/caring-for-someone-with-dementia/