The Causes, Process and Experience of Den
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- Date Submitted: 08/10/2015 06:08 AM
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The causes, process and experience of dementia.
Dementia is a term used to describe symptoms that occur when the brain is affected by certain conditions or diseases. There are many different types of dementia although there are some that are more common. These I have listed below.
Alzheimer’s disease.
This is a progressive disease and is the most common form of dementia. Brain cells die over a period of time due to a change in the chemistry and structure of the brain. Memory issues are a particular symptom of this dementia.
Vascular Dementia.
This is when the blood supply is interrupted to the brain causing brain cells to die. This can happen following a stroke where there is a sudden development in symptoms, or overtime, following a series of smaller strokes. This process is known as “stepped” meaning a more staggered decline depending on the damage caused each time.
Pick’s Disease.
This is caused by the presence of abnormalities in the brain cells called Pick’s bodies. These cause loss of brain function in focal areas namely the frontal and temporal areas of the brain. This loss of function is caused by brain tissue shrinkage known as atrophy.
Lewy Bodies Dementia.
This dementia causes degeneration of the brain tissue from protein growths that develop in the nerve cells. This form of dementia is commonly misdiagnosed and has similar symptoms to Parkinson’s.
Rarer types of dementia include;
Huntington’s disease.
This is a neurodegenerative inherited condition that damages certain nerve cells in the brain. Over time this damage gets progressively worse leading to cognitive decline and dementia. Characterized by jerky, involuntary movements known as chorea.
Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease.
This condition is caused by abnormal infectious proteins known as prions. They grow to high levels causing irreversible damage to nerve cells. People usually die within 6 months of showing the first symptoms.
Memory impairment.
One of the most common symptoms of...
Dementia is a term used to describe symptoms that occur when the brain is affected by certain conditions or diseases. There are many different types of dementia although there are some that are more common. These I have listed below.
Alzheimer’s disease.
This is a progressive disease and is the most common form of dementia. Brain cells die over a period of time due to a change in the chemistry and structure of the brain. Memory issues are a particular symptom of this dementia.
Vascular Dementia.
This is when the blood supply is interrupted to the brain causing brain cells to die. This can happen following a stroke where there is a sudden development in symptoms, or overtime, following a series of smaller strokes. This process is known as “stepped” meaning a more staggered decline depending on the damage caused each time.
Pick’s Disease.
This is caused by the presence of abnormalities in the brain cells called Pick’s bodies. These cause loss of brain function in focal areas namely the frontal and temporal areas of the brain. This loss of function is caused by brain tissue shrinkage known as atrophy.
Lewy Bodies Dementia.
This dementia causes degeneration of the brain tissue from protein growths that develop in the nerve cells. This form of dementia is commonly misdiagnosed and has similar symptoms to Parkinson’s.
Rarer types of dementia include;
Huntington’s disease.
This is a neurodegenerative inherited condition that damages certain nerve cells in the brain. Over time this damage gets progressively worse leading to cognitive decline and dementia. Characterized by jerky, involuntary movements known as chorea.
Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease.
This condition is caused by abnormal infectious proteins known as prions. They grow to high levels causing irreversible damage to nerve cells. People usually die within 6 months of showing the first symptoms.
Memory impairment.
One of the most common symptoms of...