Dementia is a loss in mental skills, such as the ability to think, reason, learn, and understand. It causes problems with day-to-day tasks and self care.
Some Areas of the Brain Affected by DementiaCopyright © Nucleus Medical Media, Inc. |
Many health problems can be a cause. Some common ones are:
It is more common in older adults. Other things that may raise the risk are:
Symptoms start slowly and get worse with time. They may be:
The doctor will ask about your symptoms and health past. A physical exam will be done. Tests on memory, thought processes, and nervous system will also be done. Images of the brain may be taken with:
There is no cure. The goal is to manage it. This can be done with medicines, such as:
These changes may also be helpful:
The exact cause of dementia is not known. General tips for brain health include:
Alzheimer's Association
http://www.alz.org
American Academy of Neurology
http://www.aan.com
Alzheimer Society Canada
http://www.alzheimer.ca
Toronto Dementia Network
http://www.dementiatoronto.org
Alzheimer dementia. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: https://www.dynamed.com/condition/alzheimer-dementia. Accessed October 14, 2020.
Alzheimer's disease medications fact sheet. National Institute on Aging website. Available at: https://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/publication/alzheimers-disease-medications-fact-sheet. Accessed October 14, 2020.
Dementia evaluation. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: https://www.dynamed.com/evaluation/dementia-evaluation. Accessed October 14, 2020.
Moga DC, Roberts M, et al. Dementia for the Primary Care Provider. Prim Care. 2017 Sep;44(3):439-456.
Last reviewed October 2020 by
EBSCO Medical Review Board
Rimas Lukas, MD
Last Updated: 12/18/2020