Dementia: How is it detected?

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Dementia refers to a group of symptoms that indicate that brain function has been damaged such as memory, thinking, etc. It is not a specific disease, but several different diseases can be. cause memory loss. The diagnosis of dementia is made by a variety of tests to help with both physical and neurological treatment as well as cognitive testing.

1. Dementia

Dementia is a symptom that signals brain function has been damaged, usually due to disease or injury. It is characterized by impairment in one or more conscious mental activities such as language, learning and memory, and is furthermore severe enough to interfere with daily functioning. Symptoms may include:
Memory loss Language problems Inability to concentrate Depression Difficulty with daily activities, such as eating or dressing Difficulty controlling emotions Personality changes Incitement Dementia affects about 50 million people worldwide. This number is expected to increase as the population ages.
Many different diseases of the nervous system can cause dementia. Alzheimer's disease is the leading cause, and it accounts for one-half to two-thirds of cases. The second most common cause of dementia is vascular dementia, also known as vascular cognitive impairment (VCI). It usually occurs after a stroke when blood flow to certain areas of the brain is blocked. Or mixed dementia is where a person can have more than one type of dementia, this condition is often found in older adults. However, memory loss is not a normal part of the aging process.

2. Diagnosis of dementia

Diagnosing dementia and its types can be challenging. To diagnose its cause, a doctor must recognize patterns of loss of skill and function and must determine what a person can still do. Your doctor may perform a psychiatric evaluation. Your doctor will then ask questions about your mood and feelings of happiness to see if depression or another mental health condition may be causing your dementia symptoms.
They can also ask about any behaviors that are cause for concern such as: When did they happen and how long did they last? Your relationship with your spouse, children or friends...
In addition, the diagnosis of dementia will use a series of tests to rule out other medical conditions, treatable such as depression , vitamin B12 deficiency , hydrocephalus and hypothyroidism . At the same time, conducting physical and neurological examinations along with cognitive testing are indicators to analyze disease status.
Cognitive tests are measures of thinking ability. This method will focus on things like memory, counting, reasoning, and language skills. For example, your doctor may ask you to draw a clock and mark your hands at a specific time, or give you a short list of words and ask you to remember and repeat them. Or your doctor may ask you to do easy calculations, such as counting backwards from 100 to seven.
Neurological tests: The doctor will check balance, reflexes, eye movements and see how well the body's senses are working. To do this, your doctor may ask you to push or pull their hand with yours or stand with your eyes closed and touch your nose. To test your reflexes, your doctor may tap a small rubber hammer against parts of your body and see how you react.
Also, your doctor may order blood tests to look for problems like certain vitamin deficiencies or thyroid problems, which can affect the way your brain works.

Brain imaging is a useful addition to laboratory tests to rule out other treatable conditions such as brain tumors. Your doctor may order one of the following imaging tests:
Brain MRI uses a strong magnetic field, radiofrequency pulses, and a computer to create detailed images of the brain that help detect abnormalities of the brain and diagnose medical conditions occurring in the brain. Sometimes, in certain cases, a contrast agent will be injected into the arm vein to improve image quality. Brain MRI can also reveal whether a stroke has occurred recently. In many cases, doctors may order a second MRI scan to evaluate for changes that have occurred between the two scans. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) uses MR imaging to measure blood flow and oxygen changes that take place in an active part of the brain. The fMRI test can be used to help evaluate how brain function has been affected by a stroke, injury, or degenerative disease such as Alzheimer's. However, its use as a diagnostic test is limited in dementia. A brain CT scan combines special X-ray equipment with computers to create many detailed pictures or pictures of the inside of the skull. CT scans can detect brain atrophy associated with dementia, and it also provides detailed information about head injuries, strokes, and other brain diseases. In some specific cases, contrast material will be used to inject into the arm vein to improve image quality. PET is a diagnostic test that uses a small amount of radioactive material to help diagnose and determine the severity of a wide range of diseases. PET can be combined with a CT scan or an MRI scan to provide details about both the function (from the PET scan) and the anatomy (from the CT or MRI) of the brain. Furthermore, the PET test in particular can help identify clusters of abnormal proteins associated with Alzheimer's disease. Lumbar puncture is a diagnostic test that uses a needle to remove a small amount of cerebrospinal fluid, the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. Research shows that people with early-stage Alzheimer's may have clusters of abnormal proteins in their cerebrospinal fluid.

3. Dementia treatment

Although there is no cure for some dementias, it is possible to treat symptoms to make the progression of some types of dementia slow or even reversed with treatment. Treatments include:
Treat the cause of dementia when there is a treatable cause. This includes hormonal treatment for hypothyroidism, treatment of hydrocephalus with cloning,... Use of a cholinesterase inhibitor, which is a drug that can slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease by helping people who improve attention and working memory. Use medication to control blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, diabetes, and blood clotting problems. Procedures to improve blood flow to the brain, such as carotid endarterectomy or angioplasty and vascular placement. Lifestyle changes, such as following a healthy diet and adding exercise, quitting smoking, and quitting or reducing alcohol consumption. There are many methods to diagnose dementia, but the diagnosis of this syndrome requires patients to be performed at reputable, specialized facilities and with a team of new and experienced doctors. for accurate images and results.
Currently, Vinmec International General Hospital has been and continues to be fully equipped with modern diagnostic facilities such as: PET/CT, SPECT/CT, MRI..., myelogram, blood test. blood, Lumbar puncture, neurological tests,... to diagnose dementia.
After having an accurate diagnosis of the disease and stage, the patient will be consulted to choose the most appropriate and effective treatment methods. The treatment process is always closely coordinated with many specialties: Diagnostic Imaging, Biochemistry, Immunology, Cardiology, Stem Cells and Gene Technology, Psychology, Nutrition.. . to bring the highest efficiency as well as comfort to the patient. After undergoing the treatment phase, the patient will also be monitored and re-examined to determine whether the treatment is effective or not.

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References: mayoclinic.org, webmd.com, radiologyinfo.org