A hidden disease: what you need to know about dementia?

**The Silent Disease: What You Need to Know About Dementia**

Dementia is popularly called the "silent disease" because it can develop unnoticed for several years. Often, it is detected at a stage when it is almost impossible to slow down the progression of the disease. The topic of dementia has been discussed frequently recently, especially after actor Bruce Willis was diagnosed with a speech disorder. It is useful to learn from experts how to protect yourself from dementia and maintain mental clarity in old age.

**What is Dementia?**

Some impairment in memory, attention, and speech is common in people over 60. These are natural age-related changes that usually do not seriously interfere with daily life. However, in some cases, these impairments develop into dementia. The name of the disease comes from the Latin words "de" ("from") and "mens" ("mind", "perception"), and literally means "a state of separation from one's own consciousness."

Neurologist Igor Matsokin notes that "with dementia, cognitive activity decreases, part of knowledge and skills are lost. This is not an independent disease, but a complex of symptoms of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Binswanger's diseases and other diseases. In addition, dementia can be a consequence of other pathologies of the body, which have a secondary effect on the nervous system."

Neurologist, parkinsonologist Natalya Orishich adds: "The majority of elderly patients with chronic dementia (about 60-80%) have Alzheimer's disease. Many of these patients suffer from cerebrovascular diseases against the background of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, atherosclerosis. Therefore, the mixed form of dementia is the most common in clinical practice."

Irreversible disorders in brain activity completely change a person's life and personality. He cannot remember new information, loses old knowledge and loses the ability to think logically, does not recognize or confuses loved ones. For example, he may perceive his children as his parents who died many years ago. Such patients usually require round-the-clock care.

About 10 million new cases of dementia are recorded in the world every year. The total number of people with the disease is expected to reach 82 million by 2030 and 152 million by 2050.

**Who is at risk of dementia?**

It is widely believed that women are more likely to develop dementia. In fact, several studies have shown that women are more vulnerable to genetic and environmental risk factors for dementia than men. Scientists have not yet explained the exact reason for this.

**Can You Protect Yourself From Dementia?**

According to international studies, sleep and moderate but regular aerobic exercise are important in preventing dementia in the first place. And there is a logical explanation for this.

Igor Matsokin explains: "One of the main theories of the development of dementia is based on the action of beta-amyloid protein, which is excessively accumulated in the gray cells of the brain. Because of this, there is a mass death of gray cells. Their number decreases, and the interaction between them is disrupted. This impairs a person's cognitive abilities, including memory. Beta-amyloid is a product of cell metabolism - it accumulates during the day. And during sleep, mainly in the REM phase, it is excreted from the cells. Regular physical activity also helps to get rid of this compound. For example, Finnish walking (a method of walking with specially designed poles), swimming, cycling, even continuous walking for at least 3 km, etc. "

Of course, all this is not a "panacea", because dementia can develop as a result of traumatic brain injury, cardiovascular and genetic diseases, heredity and many other reasons, but giving up bad habits, healthy sleep and sufficient mobility reduce the risk of developing the disease.

In addition, many studies show that a low level of education (lack of secondary education) increases the risk of dementia by 1.5-2 times. Scientists attribute this to the fact that the formation of cognitive reserve begins at an early age - through education and other types of mental activity. Therefore, it is recommended to constantly learn new knowledge and train the brain to prevent dementia.

**12 Risk Factors for Dementia**

Generalized data show that approximately 40% of all cases of dementia are associated with twelve potentially modifiable risk factors. Most risk factors occur at certain stages of life, but some, such as smoking and excessive alcohol consumption, can affect any age.

The main risk factors for dementia include:

* **In adolescence** - educational level up to 15 years;

* **In middle age** — hypertension, obesity, hearing loss;

* **In old age** — depression, diabetes, physical inactivity;

* **At any age** — impaired ecology, brain damage, smoking, alcohol, low level of social contacts.

**How to Detect Dementia in the Early Stages?**

As mentioned earlier in the material, dementia often develops almost covertly. According to Natalia Orishich, "The disease usually develops within a few years after the patient stops driving a car or managing finances. Therefore, it is very important to pay attention to the difficulties that elderly relatives experience when traveling on unfamiliar routes and mastering new gadgets. It can also warn about a narrowing of the circle of communication and interests, apathy, simplification of speech, difficulties in choosing words."

Igor Matsokin adds: "The first signs of dementia, especially in the elderly, include depression and apathy, and these manifestations persist at all stages of the disease. Often these symptoms are not considered dangerous by the person himself or his relatives, who reduce their criticism of his condition, as they are perceived as age-related personality traits and simple mood swings."

In this case, it is very important to detect the disease at an early stage. Although dementia cannot be completely cured, today's medicine significantly slows down its development, which allows you to win 8-10 years before the most severe symptoms appear.

Natalia Orishich explains: "Today, in order to stop the progression of the disease, not only drugs are used, but also a number of methods, called cognitive simulations. These are special programs that train memory and attention, hardware techniques, and even virtual reality. All of these methods are designed to preserve the brain's own resources in the context of a neurodegenerative process."

**Do Dementia Tests Really Work?**

You've probably seen tests on the Internet that say "those who find a cat in a picture are not at risk of dementia." Can you trust them?

Natalia Orishich says that such pictures are a sophisticated version of one of the neuropsychological tests - "noisy images." But one test cannot replace a full medical examination. In principle, the abilities of all people are different. However, any online tests of this kind are still useful - they draw people's attention to the problem of dementia and possible methods of cognitive simulation.