Dementia - Causes and Symptoms

Definition

Dementia consists of the global deterioration of the cognitive state, often progressively. This leads to the impairment of various brain functions, such as memory, language, reasoning, ability to orientate and the execution of complex problems. These cognitive dysfunctions are associated with alterations in personality and behavior (irritability, anxiety, depression, insomnia and apathy).

Dementia can result from primitive brain diseases or pathological conditions affecting other organs and systems.

Most forms are irreversible and derive from brain degenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, Lewy body disease and frontotemporal dementia (including Pick's disease).

Another form of irreversible dementia is on a vascular basis and is often related to diffuse or focal cerebral infarctions (vascular dementia).

However, there are also potentially reversible dementias, secondary to structural brain abnormalities (eg normotensive hydrocephalus, subdural hematoma and brain tumors), to endocrine-metabolic disorders (eg hypothyroidism, vitamin B12 deficiency and folate deficiency) or exposure to toxic substances (eg heavy metals or other toxins). These conditions, in fact, cause a slow deterioration of cognitive functions, which can be resolved with adequate and timely treatment.

Dementia also occurs in patients with Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease and progressive supranuclear palsy. Possible infectious causes include, instead, meningitis, post-encephalitic syndromes, AIDS, Whipple's disease, neurosyphilis, Lyme disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker syndrome.