Learn The Difference Between Alzheimers And Dementia

By Jack Morgan

When it comes to differentiating Alzheimer's and dementia, a lot of confusion is experienced and especially because most people use the two words interchangeably. Although slightly related, the two words are very different. In simple explanation, Alzheimer's is one cause of the symptoms of dementia while dementia is a symptom that can be caused by different factors; Alzheimer's being one of the causes.

On the other hand, Alzheimer's disease is a common cause of dementia. This kind of disease is usually suffered by older age group. Since it is considered as the most common cause of dementia, this disease is equated with its general term. But you should always remember that dementia has a lot of other causes, not only the Alzheimer's disease.

According to the World Health Organization, there are 35.6 million people around the world who are suffering from dementia. Though, it is not a disease, dementia is actually a collection of symptoms that can affect a person's mental activity including reasoning as well as memory. It can be caused by a variety of conditions and it is most common among patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's progresses slowly and can start by the patient having a short memory and later developing other problems such as poor judgment and decision making. In order to distinguish Alzheimer's from other causes of dementia, the doctor will first examine these first symptoms in order to establish the real cause of dementia. A CT scan can follow in order to be sure that Alzheimer's is the real cause of condition dementia.

There are numerous causes of dementia, some reversible while others are not. Vitamins deficiencies and thyroid conditions can be reversed, as long as the underlying problem is identified and treated. However, other causes of dementia are not reversible. They are considered degenerative diseases that are detrimental to the brain over time. The most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer's Disease(AD), which accounts for 80% of all dementia cases. It is estimated that 5.3 million Americans live with Alzheimer's disease. As they grow older, so do the prevalence increases. It is approximated that 50% of individuals aged 85 year and above have the disease.

When a person has dementia, it means that he is suffering from a significant memory problem, which can become severe and might affect one's daily living. According to the records presented by the Cleveland Clinic, Alzheimer's disease is about 50 to 70 percent of all dementia cases.

Alzheimer's affects the patient's memory which starts to show after the patient reaches sixty years. In older people; over 60 years; the disease can take up to 3 years before the person passes on. However, this is different from younger people; it can take longer before they pass away. On the other hand, on much elderly people who are over 80 years can take less than 3 years after Alzheimer's symptoms show.

If a person has Alzheimer's disease, the damage to the brain can begin even before the symptoms show. There are abnormal protein deposits that form plaques and tangles in the brain of a patient with Alzheimer's. The connections between the cells are lost, thus they begin to die.

It is important that doctors explain the difference between Alzheimers and dementia to their patients in order to avoid confusion. This way, the patient will be well-informed about the condition that he or she is suffering from. It would also give the doctors with the possible cure or prevention for the condition.

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If you are looking for information on the various stages when it comes to dementia, then please visit the website. It is an excellent resource for people wanting a brief introduction to the illness. It also has useful information regarding The Difference Between Dementia and Alzheimer's?.

Comprehensive Management Of Early Stage Dementia

By Jack Morgan

Diagnosis of dementia is complex as the onset of the condition is progressive and it's often associated with other clinical manifestation. Never the less, it is vital to detect early stage dementia so as to be able to slow the down progression of the condition to a worse or severe state.

Dementia is not only a problem of memory but it also reduces the ability to reason, ability to learn, ability to recall the past experience and also the ability to retain; there is also loss of feelings, activities and patterns of thoughts.

The person suffering from dementia is more affected by the behavioral and mental problems. When this disease starts to worsen then the individuals might neglect them and may also become incontinent and uninhibited. The behavior of the person suffering from dementia becomes restless, inappropriate and disorganized. Some people become so restless that they start wandering about by day and sometimes even at night. If dementia patients are put in circumstances that are beyond their abilities then there might be a sudden change of behavior and they might get angry.

There are three stages of dementia. In the first stage, the person suffering from it has an impaired concentration, deterioration of memory and an increasing tendency to anxiety and fatigue. The failure of memory is observed for one or two years as it is a relatively slow process. There are also speech disorders in people suffering from this disease.

There have been a lot of effort in coming up with a model to detect early dementia. This model is designed to help the early detection of the disease. Consequently, with the model it is easy for the clinicians to opt for the best treatment plan that will slow down early dementia and other related conditions such as Alzheimer. With this latest diagnosis technique, it will be much easier to detect the disease compared to cognitive tests to diagnose the condition.

There are some other small yet significant symptoms that can point towards a person's dying intellectual ability and functioning. In such cases, a healthy and normal person may seem more apathetic, lost and uninterested in everything that once meant a lot to him/her.

Improving the quality of life for a dementia patient - It is worth to note that early stage of dementia may to a certain extent compromise quality of the patient's life. Hence, a proactive and dynamic care is the baseline to ease the burden of a dementia patient. Since the patient with dementia often faces personal traits challenges, it is essential to customize a patient care program to help the patient to be integrated into the usual life schedule.

The main causes of this disease are different kinds of brain injury that might cause irreversible but a fixed cognitive impairment. The white matter of the brain is generally damaged by a traumatic brain injury. If there is a temporary reduction of oxygen or blood in the brain then it may lead to hypoxic-ischemic injury. Infections such as encephalitis and meningitis and strokes such as intracerebral hemorrhage, extradural hemorrhage, subdural hemorrhage, ischemic stroke and subarachnoid hemorrhage affect the brain. Acute hydrocephalus and prolonged epileptic seizures might also have a long-term effect on cognition.

There are many causes and kinds of dementia that often show slightly different symptoms however, the symptom overlap makes it impossible to diagnose this kind of disease by symptomatology itself. The diagnosis is done by the brain scanning techniques. In some cases one is not sure about it without a brain biopsy or an autopsy.

About the Author:

If you are looking for information on various stages of dementia, then please visit stagesofdementia.org. It is an excellent resource for people wanting a brief introduction to the illness. It also has useful information regarding early onset of dementia.

What Is The Dementia Rating Scale?

By Jack Morgan

Do you have any idea about Dementia rating scales? If you have got no idea, here are some of the things for you to know about it. This divides the process of the disease into stages and is known to be seven. They are basing on the size of the cognitive decline. For those people who have Alzheimer's disease, GDS is the most relevant to them, simply because there are some other kinds of dementia which does not include loss of memory.

When it comes to diagnosing patients who have dementia, doctors use something that is referred to as the dementia rating scale. The dementia rating scale is a way to categorize the severity of the affects of the condition on the patients. The first way to test the rating scale of the stage of dementia that the patient has is to test the level of the cognition that the patient is able to utilize regularly.

In stage one; there is Dementia and also no Cognitive Decline. This is normally a stage whereby a person is normally functioning well, no loss of memory and he/she is mentally healthy. Stage one is the stage where people are not considered to be having Dementia.

Stage two, another stage where there is presence Dementia This stage is always used for description of forgetfulness which is normal common in people who are getting old for instance forgetting the identities of objects which are familiar were left.

When the patient is being clinically tested for the unique dementia rating scale, the patient will interact with various professionals who will use a variety of determining criteria to figure out how severe the condition is in that particular person. There are a number of tests that the patient can under go in order to have the severity of the condition diagnosed.

The Clinical Dementia Rating scale is playing a critical role in pharmacology especially in the production of drugs for halting and arresting the development of dementia related condition such as Alzheimer's disease. CDR scale is important for accurately diagnosing the condition and staging it accurately so as to define appropriate clinical care.

Stage five, also called mid-stage. There are major deficiencies of memory and it requires some assistance in order for their daily activities to be completed. Loss of memory is more prominent in such a way that they don't even remember their phone numbers. Average duration for this stage is 1.5 years.

If you know someone who is currently suffering with the effects of the condition that is known as dementia, then it might be best to take your loved one to get screened or assessed to determine the severity of the dementia. The determined dementia rating scale of your loved one could help to ensure that the person being effected by dementia is going to receive the best care.

Stage seven, also known as late-stage.People have got no ability to communicate and assistance is needed in most of the activities. Also there is loss of walking ability.2.5 years is the average duration. So if you had no idea about all this, at least by now you have got something to know. Having this idea in your mind is of great importance for you have known some of the things that you didn't know. You can also take a step and teach others about this problem for them to know the stages and how they should face whenever they experience.

About the Author:

Learn more about the stages of dementia. Stop by the stagesofdementia.org website where you can find out all about the different rating scales of dementia and the different available treatments.

Make Living With Yeast Infections Easier With This Info

By Barbara Foxx

You don't have to just accept having a yeast infection. Yeast infections can destroy the quality of your life and make daily activities unbearable. You can learn more about the cause and prevention of yeast infections in the article that follows.

If you go to the sauna or pool a lot, take off your wet clothes pronto. Whatever you wear which is damp can cause yeast to overgrow. After removing your wet clothing, you should dry yourself completely before putting on your dry clothes.

When you sweat, it creates a humid and warm environment. Yeast thrives in this kind of environment. Clothing that is made of natural things like cotton should be worn. Cotton allows your body to breath much more easily. Avoid synthetic material like Lycra, spandex and nylon. These materials trap sweat and humidity.

If you sweat a lot, you create a humid environment. Yeast loves dampness and will flourish when it is available. Dress in clothing made from cotton, linen, silk and other natural materials. This ensures that dampness doesn't congregate near your skin. Fabrics you should avoid include nylon, spandex, Lycra and other synthetic materials. These materials can trap in sweat and hold it close to your body.

If you get a lot of yeast infections, consider what types of products you are using in and around your vagina. Try not to use hygiene products that contain fragrance and dye. These things can affect the natural balance of bacteria in the vagina, as well as your natural pH and create an environment for growing yeast. Instead, stick to hypoallergenic products that are mild and gentle.

If you are susceptible to recurring yeast infections, it may be time to rethink your use of bath products. Do not use cleansers and soaps that have dyes and fragrances. These things can affect the natural balance of bacteria in the vagina, as well as your natural pH and create an environment for growing yeast. You ought to just use products that are mild and hypoallergenic.

The ingredient lactobacillus acidophilus is definitely your friend. They can help reduce or thwart yeast infections altogether. When purchasing yogurt look for these live cultures within a sugar-free product. Sugar feeds the yeast, so it can be counter-productive.

Eating a cup full of plain yogurt daily can work to prevent a yeast infection. The bacterias in yogurt help fight against the organisms that allow a yeast infection from forming. Having said that, you should understand that yogurt does not help to eliminate a yeast infection if you are currently suffering from one. It simply helps prevent one from occurring in the first place.

Douching is a common cause of yeast infections. Although many women feel that this will prevent a yeast infection by cleansing the body, it really does the opposite. Douching can upset your vagina's natural balance. When vaginal bacteria is unbalanced, you are more susceptible to yeast infections.

Douches can create yeast infections. While cleansing the sensitive areas is advised for preventing an infection, the chemicals within a scented douche will have the opposite effect. Douching can interfere with your body's pH balance. Without this natural balance, you are more likely to get a yeast infection.

There may be several reasons you were interested in the information above. Maybe you have a yeast infection right now and want to deal with the symptoms. Maybe you want to prevent one in the future. Keep these tips in mind and take action immediately if you ever develop an infection again.

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Before spending your hard earned cash on yeast-infection remedies or products, visit http://yeastinfection-rash.net/ for information and tips on yeast infection rash.. This article, Make Living With Yeast Infections Easier With This Info is released under a creative commons attribution license.

A Comprehensive Overview Of The Symptoms Of Dementia

By Jack Morgan

Loss of memory is one of the major symptoms demonstrated by a person suffering from dementia. A person with this health problem will tend to forget things more often and not even remember them later one. This mostly happens to things that just happened within a short time.

The major symptom of dementia is loss of memory that affects the day to day life of the victim. It becomes difficult for a patient to remember recently learned information. Other signs that shows that a person has memory loss is forgetting events or dates, keeping on asking the same questions and an increasing tendency to rely on other people to assist with performing the simplist of tasks.

The most important thing that you should know in regards to dementia is that it occurs in two distinctive stages i.e. the early stage and the last stage of dementia. This is because dementia is a progressive kind of medical condition. In other words, it gradually deteriorates with time. Similarly, each of these stages has distinctive symptoms. New symptoms will emerge in the late stage of dementia while earlier symptoms will get worse. Here are some of the early symptoms of dementia.

This problem tends to affect the functioning of the brain, thus it might make a person develop difficulties to make clear judgments. It becomes a problem for a person to make good judgment such as wearing the right clothes depending on weather conditions. Decreased judgment can affect the performance in work or in any other roles. If this problem is not handled effectively it can lead to total disorientation in a patient's life.

These are the most common symptoms of dementia in its early stage. You should try to take note of any person exhibiting these symptoms as soon as you can. Then, you should persuade such a person to see a doctor as soon as possible. However, you should also know the symptoms of dementia in its late stage. Knowing these symptoms will help you to recognise it in case you were not convinced that it is dementia during the early stages of the disease.

Normally it is not hard for a person to understand visual images and spatial relationships. However, a person suffering from dementia may have vision difficulties and find it difficult to read, determine colors, determine spatial relationships and judge distance. This might make the victim have difficulties while driving.

Speech and writing ability can also be affected by dementia. A person develops problems joining words to make a sensible sentence. An individual may keep on repeating themselves as they talk, write or even stop at the middle of a conversation as a result of loss of train of thought. It is also possible for a person to forget the name of the other person or an item.

As mentioned before, some of the symptoms in early stage dementia become more visible and even worse in late stage dementia. For example, communication in late stage dementia is a huge problem. In certain cases, a person suffering from late stage dementia will lose his or her ability to speak altogether. Other early stage symptoms like memory loss will intensify in this late stage. In fact, people suffering from late stage dementia may not recognise their immediate family members or friends.

Despite that it is common to feel demotivated or loss of initiative, a person with dementia becomes passive and might require a lot of encouragement to get interested in carrying out normal activities such as housework or other social obligations. This can cause a lot of problems at home or even at the work place.

About the Author:

There is a lot of information to learn when it comes to the various stages in dementia. An excellent starting point for Symptoms of Dementia information, would be to visit the following website at http://stagesofdementia.org.

Clinical Research And The Future Of Dementia

By Jack Morgan

Dementia is a widely researched brain condition. The risk of developing brain disorders under the umbrella of dementia increases when a patient is clinically diagnosed with noticeable and declined intellectual abilities and mild cognitive impairment. However, research has not yet come up with a reliable way to know which patients with mild cognitive disorders progress to full clinical dementia.

Right now, research firms are coming up with the idea of funding studies on dementia to find a possible solution to the illness. These organizations are also dedicated to supporting other organizations with similar goals as far as dementia is concerned. There are currently no tangible results on dementia, but experts are hoping to find ways to diagnose dementia and prevent or treat it altogether.

What is key when exploring the epidemic of dementia is that investment in the research of the dynamics as well as the cause of the disease are key to finding a meaningful solution to this ravaging epidemic.

The only challenge that researchers face is inadequate funding. If, at all, they are going to achieve their ultimate goal, then funding is going to be inevitable. This funding will help support research into neurodegenerative diseases, the risk factors involved, plus many other things that involve dementia.

The observed differences between people who score low in cognitive tests and don't develop dementia poses future research questions. Dementia study is also complicated in a way because it largely depends on memory tests. Age, sex, race and education are also factors that can show differences in cognitive memory tests regardless of whether the patients have developed dementia or not.

Future research endeavors will be underpinned on the ultimate goal of enhancing prevention measures, diagnosis, care and treatment of dementia. Previous researches conducted in this domain have also created a drive for discovery science as well as the use of experimental medicine. This can be implemented in the direction of picking up new targets for therapeutic development. Future work in this discipline will involve developing successful or prospectively successful compounds to advanced level trials.

Future research work is expected to take a more open form that allows integration of research endeavors with public service. This is expected to increase public participation in the core of dementia research as a bid to increase awareness on the diseases while underscoring the role that research plays in stepping up to the challenges of dementia.

Current dementia and Alzheimer management don't take into account the different categories of patients. Sometimes every patient has a unique mental condition and that will require custom management. Mental conditions worsen with age. Therefore, patients are not always of the same age and custom dementia management is justified.

Finally, it is said that some Australian researchers found a possible natural remedy for dementia. They discovered a natural substance in the body cells known as "Spermidine" which they say can aid in memory loss, which is a major concern for patients suffering from dementia. The concentration of spermidine decreases as one gets older. Spermidine was administered to specimen of mammals such as rats and mice because they have similar memory functions to human beings. So they're hoping that the results will be transferred to humans someday in the near future.

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Learn more about the stages of dementia. Stop by the various dementia stages website where you can find out all about the Future of Dementia and the different available treatments.

CSS Syndrome: Implications And Complexities

By Jack Morgan

Churg-Strauss Syndrome, now commonly referred to as EGPA (Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis), is a rare chronic disease marked by inflammation of the blood vessels. It mainly affects people - and most commonly, men - in the 30-45 age group, with symptoms seldom being found in those outside this age group, especially the young or elderly.

Churg-Strauss Syndrome is a type of vasculitis that causes the blood vessels to become inflamed in the abdomen and the lungs as well as on the skin, it can also affect the nerve system. The actual cause of Churg-Strauss Syndrome has yet to be discovered, but in most cases it starts by affecting the immune system of asthma and bronchial sufferers. The cause has also been linked to several asthma medications known as leukotriene-modifiers although this has not been confirmed.

Despite vasculitis being an incredibly daunting prospect, Churg-Strauss Syndrome is - though by no means an easygoing illness - not impossible to live with, and while its impact can be particularly harsh, for the average patient it is free from complications and not as debilitating as one might expect. With ongoing support from medical professionals, family, friends and co-workers, it is perfectly possible to live a fulfilling and, on the whole, comfortable life in spite of the condition.

Churg-Strauss Syndrome is difficult to diagnose because the amount of different symptoms it can produce, which makes it very similar to a lot of other ailments. There is currently no cure for this illness, but it can be kept under control with steroids and strong drugs.

Those diagnosed with only a mild form of the illness, whereby the nervous system, the heart, and the kidneys, are not affected, may find that only a low dosage of drugs is required to prevent the disease from further development.

The final stage is the vasculitic stage, where the blood vessels become drastically inflamed and begin to narrow. At this point it is likely that a diagnosis will have been confirmed or be close to confirmation in cases where medical help has been sought. If the patient has not already been to a doctor, the stage three symptoms, including joint aches, swelling, rash, chest pain and urine in the blood, are almost guaranteed to prompt them to do so, as by this stage they are difficult to ignore. It is important that a doctor is notified as early as possible if you or someone close to you is experiencing any number of these symptoms, as though it may not be a case of Churg-Strauss, it is crucial they are evaluated.

The overall prognosis for sufferers of this disease is good in most cases, where on average people who seek medical attention at an early stage can recover well, but may need regular monitoring by a specialist physician. However the illness can recur, especially among those with asthma or nasal problems, whereby thirty to fifty per cent of patients do suffer a relapse of new symptoms or those similar to their original condition. In these instances it is vital to seek advice from a medical doctor, who after following examination and laboratory tests, should be able to prescribe the correct dosage of drugs in order to stabilize the disease and prevent any further development, resulting in most patients being able to continue a good normal quality of life.

About the Author:

If you are looking for information on churg-strauss syndrome, then visit csssyndrome.com. It is an excellent resource for people wanting a brief introduction to the disease. It also has useful information regarding churg strauss syndrome.