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= Dementia = Haley Barter, January 13th, 2017

Dementia is a term used to describe one's ability to no longer perform in daily tasks due to the decline in mental functions, such as memory and thinking. The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer's disease. An example of dementia would be memory loss.

Dementia Causes and Types
Although dementia is not referred to as a disease itself, it still has causes of its own. Normally it is caused by damaged nerves in the brain that can range from different areas. Depending on what area is affected, the person involved will act differently.

There are many different types of dementia, some of those that are reversible and other that aren't. Those types that aren't reversible are Alzheimer's disease, Vascular dementia, Lewy Body dementia, Mixed dementia and Frontotemporal dementia. Vascular dementia is caused by damage to the vessels, Lewy Body dementia is formed by clumps of proteins in the brain, mixed dementia is caused when there are multiple types of dementia present in one's brain and Frontotemporal dementia is caused degeneration of nerves in the frontal and temporal areas in the brain.

Huntington's disease, traumatic brain injuries, and Parkinson's disease are some of the more commonly heard diseases associated with being linked to dementia. Huntington's disease is a genetic mutation which involved damage to nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Parkinson's disease is also a disease associated with the central nervous system and most people develop signs of dementia during some point in their life.

Risk Factors
Some risk factors that are linked with dementia are age, family history, down syndrome and memory problems. The older a person gets, the more likely it is for them to be diagnosed with dementia. If dementia runs in the family, it puts other family members at a greater risk for showing symptoms of the disease later on in life. Although, there are a vast amount of cases where there are no signs of dementia in family history. There is such a thing called "early on-set Alzheimer's," which is usually associated with people who have previously been diagnosed with down syndrome. These individuals start to show symptoms during middle age instead of late age. Since dementia is already associated with memory loss, those who suffer from cognitive difficulties already are more likely to experience dementia later on in life.

Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer's generally affects people over the age of 65. Alzheimer’s disease makes up over half of the dementia cases. Alzheimer’s can affect one’s behavior, memory and thinking. It is a progressive neurological degenerative disorder, meaning it declines over time and is a gradual memory loss. During the early stages of Alzheimer’s, memory loss is mild, but as a person ages, they lose the ability to hold conversation.

Alzheimer’s affects more than five million American’s and is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, which accounts for about 500,000 people a year. Some individuals may run off from where they are, such as home, without even knowing and can endanger themselves or those around them due to being disoriented. The majority of those living in a nursing home suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, mainly because of the fact that they need supervised care all the time. While anyone can have Alzheimer’s disease, women are at a greater risk. People typically only live eight years after their symptoms arise, but can also range from four to twenty years after initial symptoms.

Alzheimer’s Symptoms
Since Alzheimer’s is a progressive memory loss, the most common symptom is the inability to form new memories. Subjects may be shown a series of pictures and can recite what was shown a few seconds after but as time passed, these individuals would not have any recollection of the pictures. As the disease progresses, individuals may even forget memories already stored in the long term memory, like people they have known for years, such as children or spouses. Those dealing with Alzheimer’s disease will generally experience loss of language skills, disorientation, and even personality changes. Alzheimer’s disease can also be detected by studying the individual’s brain. A normal brain will look plump and healthy, while a brain suffering from Alzheimer’s disease will look thinner and wider and show a change in color.

Cure/Treatment
Although there is no current cure for Alzheimer’s disease, there are drugs that are able to slow the progression and delay the worsening of the symptoms. Some of these medications are anticholinesterase, which increase acetylcholine and boosts memory.