Causes and Symptoms
Dementia is a term utilized to show that an individual has developed some difficulties in judgment, memory and reasoning. The psychological and behavioral symptoms of dementia are a fundamental part of the dementia syndrome. Apparently, the decline in motivation or emotional control, or an alteration in the social conduct exhibiting as emotional irritability, apathy, liability and coarsening of the social behavior have been a portion of the diagnostic criteria for this condition [1]. Some studies indicate that behavior and cognition are dimensions, which are independent [2]. Nevertheless, they influence one another; dementia is linked to a faster rate of cognitive decline and higher impairment in the day-to-day living activities [3], and there exist variations in the severity of dementia at different levels of cognition [4]. Dementia affects the patient functioning and contributes to having a premature changeover to institutionalization and structured living settings [5]. Indeed, they are a cause for alarm and a problem to the caregivers and are typically harder to cope with in comparison to other the cognitive changes [6]. Undeniably, these symptoms are a significant cause of declined quality of life for the patients, as well as the caregivers [7].
Depression and Dementia
Depression and dementia are among the most common mental disorders in the people who are aging. Whereas depression in the old age is extremely prevalent, standing at approximately ten to twenty percent of the old people depending on the existence of other comorbid physical disorders, dementia prevalence is lower in the developed nations at nearly 3 per cent [8]. Depression is reported to be a risk factor for dementia and individuals having more depression symptoms have a tendency of suffering more rapid decline in memory and thinking. Moreover, depression accounts for approximately 4.4% of the difference in the mental decline, which cannot be attributable to the brain damage related to dementia [9].
Diagnosis
Prevention
The analysis that is based on the observable prevalence of possibly adjustable risk factors brought together with the associated relative risk for the dementia condition gives a suggestion that reductions in risk factors of ten to twenty-five percent may serve to prevent up to fifty percent of dementia cases [12]. Even if the data based on population are not completely reliable, it looks like the occurrence of all-cause dementia is reducing in high-income nations in the course of the last several decades [13]. Indeed, this pattern has taken place since the prevalence of various vascular risk factors has as well reduced in the course of time [14]. Whereas evidence is still not there to support the routine utilization of any of such initiative for the particular indication of dementia prevention [15], epidemiologic research gives optimism that the multimodality risk factor decrease is valuable, not only for the cardiovascular outcome but cognitive health as well [16].
For the purpose of this literature review, PubMed database was searched on Google and in the database, each of the four terms, including dementia causes and symptoms, dementia and depression, prevention of dementia, and diagnosis of dementia, was searched individually. The most relevant articles under each search were selected to be used in this literature review.
References
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Wynn ZJ, Cummmings JL. Cholinesterase inhibitors therapies and neuropsychiatric manifestations of Alzheimer’s disease. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2004;17:100–8.
Enache D, Winblad B, Aarsland D. Depression in dementia: epidemiology, mechanisms, and treatment. Curr Opin Psychiatry 2011;24: 461–72.
Panza F, Frisardi V, Capurso C, D’Introno A, Colacicco AM, Imbimbo BP, et al. Late-life depression, mild cognitive impairment, and dementia: the possible continuum? Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2010;18:98–116.
McKeith IG, Dickson DW, Lowe J, et al. Diagnosis and management of dementia with Lewy bodies: third report of the DLB Consortium. Neurology 2005; 65:1863.
Aarsland D, Litvan I, Salmon D, et al. Performance on the dementia rating scale in Parkinson's disease with dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies: comparison with progressive supranuclear palsy and Alzheimer's disease. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2003; 74:1215.
Barnes DE, Yaffe K. The projected effect of risk factor reduction on Alzheimer's disease prevalence. Lancet Neurol 2011; 10:819.
Satizabal CL, Beiser AS, Chouraki V, et al. Incidence of Dementia over Three Decades in the Framingham Heart Study. N Engl J Med 2016; 374:523.
Schrijvers EM, Verhaaren BF, Koudstaal PJ, et al. Is dementia incidence declining?: Trends in dementia incidence since 1990 in the Rotterdam Study. Neurology 2012; 78:1456.
Daviglus ML, Plassman BL, Pirzada A, et al. Risk factors and preventive interventions for Alzheimer disease: state of the science. Arch Neurol 2011; 68:1185.
