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Overview for Dietary and Lifestyle or Treatment info
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This disorder is the most common form of dementia, the cause of which
is unknown. Dementia is the loss or severe lessening of normal mental
ability and function. In the age group around 65 years, 10% may be
affected and those in their eighties, 20%. The brain appears to undergo
a degenerative change resulting in:
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short term memory loss, which is usually the first faculty to
undergo degeneration
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a slow disintegration of the personality. There may be character
changes, devastating to the immediate family, in that a person
of a thoughtful and caring disposition may become intolerant and
even aggressive. Patients become forgetful, may neglect their
appearance and appear to get increasingly confused
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all aspects of cortical (the outer layer of grey matter of the
brain), activity degenerate and it becomes very clear to the family
that an insidious process is at work and that plans have to be
made to cope with the progressive problem
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conversation may become repetitive and behaviour increasingly
odd and bizarre.
Associated with the basic problems outlined, there may a depressive
side to add to the symptoms. Fortunately, this area can be controlled
by oral drug therapy - e.g. Donepezil.
Overview | Orthodox
Treatments | Dietary
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