What Is Dementia?1771756
The medical term dementia does not represent any one single disease. It is a term used to describe a medical situation that is characterised by a group of symptoms. Symptoms that are not a regular component of the ageing process. The condition can be simplistically defined as a decline in intellectual functioning so severe that the sufferer can not perform routine activities and tasks.
Dementia related ailments are brought on by the loss of brain chemicals and the degeneration of cerebral matter which occur when brain cells become broken and die without replacement. That process subsequently leads to the brain retrogressing which induces a progressive loss of normal mental functions. The outcome is dementia. Alzheimer's disease is the commonest cause of dementia even though there are many other diseases that can lead to the situation.
The term dementia usually implies a permanent state of mental confusion as opposed to delirium which describes a short-term mental disturbance. For this purpose it is fortunate that the degenerative illness usually occurs later in life, rather than early, as it robs victims of the capability to believe, remember and reason. Worst of all the situation is irreversible.
The most noticeable characteristics of dementia are memory loss and confusion. Nevertheless, the failure of memory is of a distinctive type. The sufferer will really believe that events which took place many years earlier (50 to 70 years) had just occurred (displacement of time). The long-term and emotional memories generally remain nicely preserved until late in the illness. Whereas the events in the instant past will turn out to be very difficult (if not not possible) for the dementia sufferer to recall. Other traits typical to the illness include irrationality, irritability, and restlessness.
