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DEMENTIA
Our patients and their families ask us a lot of questions about dementia prevention, diagnosis and management. This week we discuss a few recent reports about dementia ….
Possible Early Warning Signs of Dementia
A Tasmanian researcher recently outlined 10 changes, worth looking out for, which might be early warning signs of dementia.
They include:
- recent memory loss
- difficulty performing familiar tasks
- language problems
- disorientation of time and place
- deteriorated judgement
- problems with calculations
- misplacing things
- mood and behaviour changes
- personality changes
- loss of initiative
See the link below for more information and examples.
Anyone experiencing several of the above changes, and especially if they are being experienced persistently, should be promptly reviewed by their GP. People showing early signs of dementia, who are diagnosed early, may benefit more from medications than those who are diagnosed later. Lastly, the changes discussed could be due to conditions other than dementia, which might be treatable. So, it might not be dementia after all! That’s why it’s important to see your GP.
Further Reading
Johnson C. Dementia early warning signs: 10 changes worth looking out for’. ABC Health & Wellbeing.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/health/2017-07-10/dementia-10-early-warning-signs/8673630 [Posted 10 July 2017] [ Accessed 8 August 2017].
A New Dementia Treatment
A novel approach for dementia treatment was described at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference this year. It follows on from anecdotal reports of Alzheimer’s patients experiencing improvements in memory, following blood transfusions. Studies in mice found that old mice, who received blood transfusions from young mice, acted younger. The behavioural changes observed in the mice were correlated with tissue changes indicative of neurogenesis (growth and development of neural tissues). Human trials using infusions of plasma in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s are underway with results expected soon.
Further Reading
Human Blood May Offer Fresh Approach for Dementia Treatment – Medscape – Jul 27, 2017.
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/883474
One Third of Dementia May Be Preventable with Lifestyle Change
A report presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference 2017 and simultaneously published in the Lancet, suggests that over one third of dementia cases may be preventable by addressing nine lifestyle factors that may affect an individual’s risk. These nine lifestyle factors were said to be responsible for 35% of the global dementia burden.
Factors include:
- not completing secondary education in early life
- hypertension
- obesity & hearing loss in midlife
- smoking
- depression
- physical inactivity
- social isolation
- developing diabetes in later life
The report addresses interventions and care strategies, which are highly evidence based, for people with dementia and cognitive impairment. Worth reading!