Dementia- Early features and risk population.

Introduction-

An overall decline in thinking skills severe enough to reduce a person’s ability to perform daily activities, refers to as dementia. It is characterized by the progressive reduction in cognitive ability and thus cognitive function. Patients with dementia have problems with cognition, behavior and also with memory loss.

Early features of dementia-

Memory loss, confusion, personality changes, apathy, withdrawal, difficulty to perform daily activities, anxiety, depression, distress, psychosis, sleep issues, etc.

Risk factors for dementia-

Modifiable

Non modifiable

The risk factors of dementia can be categorised into modifiable and non-modifiable. Modifiable risk factors include exercise, diet, alcohol and tobacco consumption. Moreover,Few risk factors are related to certain medical conditions including high blood pressure, diabetes, increased cholesterol, depression, obesity, etc. Non-modifiable risk factors for dementia include age and genetic component.

Diabetes

Exercise

Depression

Hearing loss

Social isolation

Educational attainment

Smoking

Hypertension

Obesity

1. Diabetes – it is a major vascular risk factor for developing dementia. Diabetes causes microvascular abnormalities and thus neurodegeneration. There are suggestions that it might represent an insulin-resistant brain state. the presence of type 2 diabetes in midlife is associated with increased risk of dementia, alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia and also cognitive impairment. Dementia risk with diabetes is further increased with greater severity of diabetes. diabetes was associated with a 47% increased risk of any dementia and a 39% increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
2. Physical inactivity: Exercise has a neuroprotective effect, by releasing brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), reducing cortisol, and thus reducing vascular risk. Therefore it reduces risk of dementia.
3. Depression- It affects stress hormones, neuronal growth factors, and hippocampal volume, thus increasing dementia risk.
4. Smoking: Smoking is believed to be associated with dementia and cognitive decline due to its effect on cardiovascular pathology. individuals can potentially reduce their dementia risk by giving up smoking.
5. Hypertension: promotes occurrence of cardiovascular diseases and is therefore related to a risk of developing dementia.
6. Obesity- obesity occurring at middle age has been shown to increase risk of dementia at later stages.
7. Low educational attainment: Education has been related to lower dementia risk. Also, Education helps protect the brain from cognitive decline. It thus prevents emergence of cognitive symptoms and dementia. It also aids against early memory loss.
8. Hearing loss: it has also been associated with an increased risk for dementia. Evidences suggest that hearing loss can almost double the risk of incident dementia
9. Social Isolation: Social disengagement has been shown to increase risk of dementia. People with lower social participation, less frequent social contact and loneliness are prone to dementia.

Also read- https://vcurehealthcare.com/childhood-obesity-consequences-and-prevention/