From: hounddog23x@gmail.com   
      
   Early diagnosis and treatment crucial for dementia   
      
   Dr. Anthony L. Komaroff   
   2 days ago   
      
      
      
   DEAR DOCTOR K: My mother has started showing signs of dementia. Will it be all   
   downhill from here? Or can dementia ever be treated or reversed?   
      
   DEAR READER: There are many different causes of dementia. We can't do much to   
   slow or reverse some of them, but we can reverse and even cure others.   
   Dementia is a catchall term. It covers a variety of illnesses that cause   
   memory loss, confusion, changes    
   in personality and declining ability to perform everyday activities.   
   The most common type of dementia is Alzheimer's disease. Another common   
   dementia, vascular dementia, is caused by insufficient blood flow to the   
   brain. Once these types of dementia develop, treatment options are limited.   
   Drugs for Alzheimer's are    
   sometimes used for vascular dementia. However, for both diseases, drugs offer   
   only temporary and modest protection at best. However, in a small percentage   
   of cases, dementia may be reversed.   
   The following conditions might cause reversible dementia:   
   *Toxic reactions to drugs. With aging, the liver and kidneys become less   
   efficient at detoxifying medicines and eliminating them from the body. As a   
   result, drugs tend to build up in the body. Older people in poor health and   
   those taking several    
   different medications are especially vulnerable to dementia caused by drugs.   
   Reducing the dose of medicines can sometimes produce dramatic improvement.   
   *Vitamin B12 deficiency. Nerve cells need vitamin B12 to work. Vitamin B12   
   deficiency can cause the symptoms of dementia. Vitamin B12 is plentiful in   
   eggs, dairy, meat, fish and poultry. However, with age, people become less   
   efficient at absorbing it    
   from food into the bloodstream. Supplements or injections can help restore   
   healthy levels, and reverse the problems with thinking and memory.   
   *Normal-pressure hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus occurs when too much   
   cerebrospinal fluid collects around the brain. This condition affects a small   
   number of older people. In addition to dementia, people with this condition   
   often lose bladder control and    
   walk in a slow, hesitant manner, as if their feet are stuck to the floor. A   
   surgically implanted tube (shunt) that drains this excess fluid from the brain   
   often brings rapid improvement.   
   *Subdural hematomas. Hematomas are blood clots caused by bruising. Older   
   people sometimes develop them in the brain after even a minor head injury. As   
   blood oozes into a closed space, the hematoma gets bigger and begins to   
   interfere with brain function.   
   *Thyroid disease. Both an underactive thyroid and an overactive thyroid can   
   cause the symptoms seen in dementia. In the former, the thyroid gland in the   
   body produces too little thyroid hormone. In the latter, it makes too much.   
   Both conditions can be    
   effectively treated. In all of these cases, the chances of successfully   
   reversing dementia are better the earlier treatment is started. That's why it   
   is important to tell your doctor about any signs of dementia as early as   
   possible. Don't fall into the    
   trap of thinking "I'd rather get bad news later, rather than sooner." For some   
   people with symptoms of dementia, prompt diagnosis and treatment can convert   
   bad news into good news. Hopefully, that will be true for your mother.   
      
   Dr. Komaroff is a physician and professor at Harvard Medical School. To send   
   questions, go to AskDoctorK.com, or write: Ask Doctor K, 10 Shattuck St.,   
   Second Floor, Boston, MA 02115.)   
      
      
      
   http://www.thecalifornian.com/story/life/2015/03/02/early-diagno   
   is-treatment-crucial-dementia/24095379/   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)