2024-03-16 00:25:59
Alzheimer’s and senile dementia are diseases that can be confused because they manifest symptoms that are similar, although they have great differences. One is part of the other, it is part of a wide range of options with which it manifests itself.
It is important to have a good diagnosis. In this case, it will be the neurologist who must carry out the necessary tests to determine whether it is Alzheimer’s or senile dementia, administering the necessary treatment to the extent possible. In this way, the patient will be able to begin to fight against a disease that not only affects him, but also everyone around him.
Dementia and Alzheimer’s: differences between both pathologies
As explained by professionals at the Mayo Clinic in the United States, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia, but it is not the only one. There are seven diagnosed and studied types and different causes of dementia.
This also means that dementia is a term that implies several diseases but not a disease in itself. All types of dementia are diseases that affect the functioning of the brain and the affected person’s ability to remember, maintain a conversation, work, or do things around the house.
For this reason, they are diseases that not only complicate the person who suffers them but also those around them. They have treatment and can be accompanied by doctors but there is no cure yet. The symptoms they present get worse with the passage of time.
Some common symptoms of dementia are memory impairment, changes in thinking skills, poor reasoning ability, lack of concentration and attention, changes in language and behavior.
What is Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disorder that gradually complicates memory and the ability to think and, over time, the ability to carry out even simpler tasks.
Within the spectrum of dementia, it is estimated that this is the most common disease in adults over 65 years of age. The exact causes that could generate this pathology are still unknown, but doctors give some advice to try to prevent it, even for people whose parents or grandparents have suffered from it.
They advise controlling hypertension, cholesterol, excess weight and diabetes; follow a healthy diet based on vegetables, fruits and lean meats; do physical exercise throughout life; having an active social life, something very important for when a person’s working time ends, and reading, writing, doing accounts or crossword puzzles, posing challenges to the mind.