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Index of Diseases and Conditions: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Dementia

Dementia is a word for a group of symptoms caused by disorders that affect the brain. It is not a specific disease. People with dementia may not be able to think well enough to do normal activities, such as getting dressed or eating. They may lose their ability to solve problems or control their emotions. Their personalities may change. They may become agitated or see things that are not there.

Memory loss is a common symptom of dementia. However, memory loss by itself does not mean you have dementia. People with dementia have serious problems with two or more brain functions, such as memory and language.

Many different diseases can cause dementia, including Alzheimer's disease and stroke. Drugs are available to treat some of these diseases. While these drugs cannot cure dementia or repair brain damage, they may improve symptoms or slow down the disease.

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Dementia on Wikipedia

'''Dementia''' (from Latin ''demens'') is progressive decline in cognition due to damage or disease in the brain beyond what might be expected from normal aging. Particularly affected areas may be memory, attention, language and problem solving, although particularly in the later stages of the condition, affected persons may be disorientation in time (not knowing what day, week, month or year it is), place (not knowing where they are) and person (not knowing who they are). Symptoms of dementia can be classified as either reversible or irreversible depending upon the etiology of the disease, although dementia, by definition, is irreversible and will eventually result in death. Dementia is a non-specific term that encompasses many disease processes just as fever is attributable to many etiologies. Affected persons may also show signs of psychosis, depression and delirium. Early symptoms consisting of personality changes, to change in behavior. Often dementia can be first evident during an episode of delirium. There is a higher prevalance of eventually developing dementia in individuals who experience an acute episode of confusion while hospitilized. Dementia can affect language, comprehesion, motor skills, short term memory, ability to identify commonly used items, reaction time, personality traits, and executive functioning.

Diagnosis

Proper differential diagnosis between the types of dementia (see below) will require, at the least, referral to a specialist, e.g. a geriatrician or neurologist. However, to establish dementia as a possibility the abbreviated mental test score and the mini mental state examination are used. An AMTS score of less than six and an MMSE score under 24 ''suggests'' dementia. Routine blood tests should be performed to rule out treatable causes. These tests include vitamin B12, folic acid, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), ...   [ Read More ]


External Resources

Dementia: Castle Freak - Review of the film by Drew Bourdet. Includes listing of how many people die in the film.

LikeTelevision: Dementia 13 - Full broadband movie download, in four parts. Also includes film information and trailer.

SoundtrackCollector: Dementia 13 - Soundtrack details for the film.

Internet Movie Database: Dementia 13 - Plot summary, cast and crew, user comments and ratings, trivia, production and distribution details, multimedia, and links.

Apollo Movie Guide: Dementia 13 - Synopsis, cast and crew, review by Scott Weinberg, and links.

Burnout Central: Dementia 13 - Brief review (neutral), and rating.

The SF, Horror and Fantasy Film Review: Dementia 13 - Review of the movie by Richard Scheib.

Apollo Leisure Guide - Wicked Ways neither titillates nor terrorizes its audience; it only bores us into a state of dementia.

Sailor Pluto's Ring of Dementia - For any Pluto-related site.

Dementia - Collection of original works and fan art by JProvost.



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