Dementia is not one specific disease. It consists of a description of symptoms that affects cognitive, memory, and social skills over time. The most common form of progressive dementia is Alzheimer’s disease. It affects memory and eventually the patient may need dementia care in Montreal such as home care or senior care.
Vascular Dementia
Vascular dementia account for about 20 percent of people diagnosed. This type of dementia is caused from brain damage that happens during a stroke or strokes. Another type is Lewy body dementia and many of the same symptoms may look like Alzheimer’s. Dementia, especially Alzheimer’s disease if present begins when the person is in their 60s, but it can happen younger or older as each case is different.
Complications of Late Stage Dementia
Alzheimer’s disease or any type of dementia is not fatal, but in the advance stages, since the patient is no longer able to move on their own, infection is the most common cause of death among Alzheimer’s patients. It is the complications of the disease that causes death rather than the actual disease.
Latest Research Trends
There is no cure for any type of dementia but research continues in a variety of areas to help understand the diseases linked to it. Since Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia, much of the research is focused in this area. Since brain cells begin to die as the disease progresses, the plaques that occur in Alzheimer’s is of particular interest. Researchers are looking into genetics, inflammation, and neurotransmitters.
In addition, research on how neurofibrillary and beta amyloid turns into plaque due to the ‘tangling’ that occurs is also underway. The more researchers understand about the cause, the greater the chances of finding a cure or creating newer medications that can treat dementia better.
Damage to DNA and other proteins has now been part of research for dementia as have cholesterol and how it is metabolized. Enzyme telomerase, a protein relating to age is being used by scientists to see if it plays a role in dementia.
Insulin resistance seems to be a common factor in people with Alzheimer’s but it has not been proven if this contributes to the disease itself or simply a side effect of the Alzheimer’s.
In order to find cures for diseases or better medications, researchers and scientists work to understand every faucet of the disease. By doing so, they are able to test certain theories to see if the end result is favorable.