What is dementia?
Dementia is an umbrella term for more than 50 diseases in which the brain cannot process information properly. Alzheimer's disease is the best-known variant of dementia. Vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia and lewy body dementia are other forms that are common.
How does dementia affect the brain?
In dementia, brain cells (neurons) and the connections between these cells become impaired. Neurons also die off, leading to a gradual decline in the brain's ability to process information.
The way brain cells and their connections become affected, varies depending on the type of dementia. This can happen because certain proteins clump together, precipitate or form a tangle. Another way is through damage to the blood-brain barrier.
What are the causes of dementia?
As your age increases, so does your risk of dementia.
Only in a small group heredity plays a role. If dementia develops at a young age (<65 years, usually in frontotemporal dementia), heredity is more likely to play a role.
More and more is also known about dementia risk factors. These factors affect the risk of developing dementia. The main risks are:
- High blood pressure
- Overweight
- Alcohol
- Diabetes
- Smoking
- High cholesterol
- Unhealthy diet
- Lack of exercise
- Limited to learning new things
- Limited social contact
What symptoms can be recognised in dementia?
Dementia manifests itself differently in everyone. Common symptoms of dementia are:
Loved ones often name misunderstood behaviour as one of the first signs to be concerned about. A person may be more often restless, stare into nothing, become aggressive quickly or show distrustful behaviour.
The misunderstood behaviour can be attributed to changing emotions. Dementia can make you feel anxious, depressed, restless or listless more often. Also, people with dementia often start to feel that they can no longer trust others.
- Forgetfulness*
- Problems with attention, concentration and reduced speed of processing information
- Increasing difficulty performing daily activities (apraxia)
- Problems with logical thinking, planning and organising
- Mistakes with time and place
- Problems with speech or language (aphasia)
- Problems recognising objects (agnosia)
*If someone becomes forgetful, it does not immediately mean that they have dementia. The Alzheimer Nederland memory test measures how much you forget. The test advises when it is a good idea to talk to your GP.
What does the progression of dementia look like?
People with dementia live on average 6.5 years with the disease. It often takes more than a year to confirm the diagnosis.
Dementia is a disease that gets worse as time passes, with more and more severe symptoms. We call this a 'progressive disease'. Some people deteriorate quickly, while others can live independently for a long time after diagnosis.
Informal caregivers help at home and receive help from healthcare professionals and volunteers. Over time, living at home is often no longer possible and admission to a care institution becomes necessary. But even then the role of informal caregivers and volunteers remains indispensable.
There is currently no cure for dementia. Treatment focuses on addressing symptoms and slowing down deterioration. There are also technical aids that help people with dementia remain independent.
More and more is becoming known about the prevention of dementia. Scientists believe that up to 30% of dementia cases could be prevented if we live healthier lives. By scrolling up, you can read the 10 most important risk factors again.