What Is Dementia?6153474
The medical term dementia does not represent any one single disease. It is a term used to describe a medical condition that is characterised by a group of symptoms. Symptoms that are not a normal component of the ageing procedure. The condition can be simplistically defined as a decline in intellectual functioning so severe that the sufferer can not carry out routine activities and tasks.
Dementia related ailments are caused by the loss of brain chemicals and the degeneration of cerebral matter which occur when brain cells become damaged and die without replacement. That procedure subsequently leads to the brain retrogressing which induces a progressive loss of normal mental functions. The result is dementia. Alzheimer's disease is the commonest cause of dementia even though there are many other diseases that can lead to the condition.
The term dementia usually implies a permanent state of mental confusion as opposed to delirium which describes a short-term mental disturbance. For this reason it is fortunate that the degenerative disease usually occurs later in life, rather than early, as it robs victims of the capability to think, remember and purpose. Worst of all the situation is irreversible.
The most noticeable traits of dementia are memory loss and confusion. However, the failure of memory is of a distinctive type. The sufferer will truly think that events which took place many years earlier (50 to 70 years) had just occurred (displacement of time). The long-term and emotional memories usually remain well preserved till late in the disease. Whereas the events in the instant past will become extremely difficult (if not not possible) for the dementia sufferer to recall. Other traits typical to the disease include irrationality, irritability, and restlessness.
