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Multi infarct Dementia - Multi infarct Dementia Symptom, Cause, Treatment
Serious forgetfulness, mood swings, and other behavioral changes are not a normal part of aging. Multi-infarct dementia, also known as vascular dementia (VD), is the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer disease (AD) in the elderly (persons over 65 years of age). The term refers to a group of syndromes caused by different mechanisms all resulting in vascular lesions in the brain. Early detection and accurate diagnosis are important, as VD is at least partially preventable. Dementia due to brain blood clots and strokes.
Symptoms of Multi infarct Dementia
The Symptoms of Multi infarct Dementia are below the listed
- Awareness of mental deterioration, which may cause frustration, depression, anxiety, stress, and tension
- Dementia (slowly progressive memory loss) with lack of awareness of mental deterioration and:
- Difficulties with attention, concentration, judgment, and behavior
- Confusion, disorientation
- Hallucinations (hearing sounds or seeing things which are not there) and delusions
- Uncoordinated or weak movements
- Aphasia (impaired language ability)
- Personality changes
- Progressive decreases in multiple brain functions
- Withdrawal from social interaction
- Inability to interact in social or personal situations
- Inability to maintain employment
- Decreased ability to function independently
- Decreased interest in daily living activities
- Lack of spontaneity
- Localized numbness or tingling
- Swallowing difficulty
- Sudden involuntary laughing or crying (emotional instability)
- Urinary incontinence
Causes of Multi infarct Dementia
These changes in the way the brain works can affect memory, speech, and the ability to carry out daily activities. The term dementia describes a medical condition that is caused by changes in the normal activity of very sensitive brain cells.Risk factors for MID include a history of stroke , hypertension , smoking, and atherosclerosis. A stroke occurs when blood cannot get to the brain. The affects of MID vary depending on the location and severity of the infarctions. MID affects approximately 4 out of 10,000 people. It is estimated that 10 - 20% of all dementias are caused by strokes, making MID the third most common cause of dementia in the elderly, behind Alzheimer's disease and DLBD (dementia of Lewy bodies). MID affects men more often than women. The disorder usually affects people over 55, with the average onset at age 65. Obviously, VaD and cerebrovascular disease share risk factors, including age, male sex, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, cardiomyopathy, and possibly homocysteine levels.Some of the main causes of strokes are:
- Untreated high blood pressure (hypertension)
- Diabetes
- High cholesterol
- Heart disease So far, no relationship between cholesterol, serum lipoproteins, and the risk of VaD is clearly indicated.
- Evidence for tobacco consumption as a risk factor for VaD is conflicting.
- Alcohol consumption may be protective.
Treatment of Multi infarct Dementia
Treatments for Multi-Infarct Dementia include:
- Prevent further brain damage
- Hypertension treatments
Currently there is no treatment for MID that can reverse the damage that has already occurred. Treatment focuses on prevention of additional brain damage by controlling high blood pressure. The treatment of VaD is symptomatic. Behavioral and psychiatric disturbances such as agitation, depression, and psychosis are common. Cerebrovascular disease should be treated by an internist and/or a neurologist familiar with the management of cerebrovascular disease.
- Established protocols for the evaluation and treatment of stroke are available. The presence of a rapidly progressive dementia and multiple strokes in a young patient may indicate uncommon causes of stroke such as CADASIL or angiitis. If suspected on clinical grounds, these conditions should be excluded with the appropriate testing procedures (ie, skin biopsy, cerebral angiography). The decision to use anticoagulation in patients with vascular disease and dementia is particularly challenging because of the increased risk of falls and potential noncompliance in this group.
- Patients with VaD are prominently affected by depression and emotional incontinence. Both conditions respond well to treatment with serotonin reuptake inhibitors.
- Patients with agitation may respond to environmental modification. Pharmacologic treatment can be useful in controlling agitation through sedation.
Prevention tips
- Eat less fatty food.
- Stop or reduce smoking.
- Have your blood pressure taken regularly by your doctor.
- If you have an irregular heart beat, consult a doctor, as it could be caused by irregular electrical activity in the valves of your heart.
- If you have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes it is very important that you control it properly.
- A daily glass of red wine probably decreases the risk of emboli (clots), due to its content of phenols.
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