Many elderly people complain of pathological forgetfulness. Most often, such a symptom indicates the development of a serious disease - senile sclerosis. In the medical literature, you can find other names for this condition: dementia, dementia , senility, psychosis, etc. The listed concepts combine the general clinical picture and treatment methods.
Short description of the disease
Many people know that nerve cells do not differ in their ability to recover. This statement has been repeatedly proved by numerous studies. If neurons die, then this process has a negative effect on the entire body. A person develops a neurological disease. And one of them is senile sclerosis.
In everyday life, we mention this pathology when we talk about memory problems. Older people are more susceptible to them, but young people, unfortunately, are not far behind them today. But if in boys and girls the onset of the disorder is usually due to prolonged overstrain, then in old people a complete death of nerve cells begins. The speed of this process is always individual and directly depends on the state of the vessels.
In turn, this system is a reflection of nutrition, lifestyle and heredity. When the vessels stop functioning fully, oxygen-enriched blood does not enter the brain and other organs. Nerve cells begin to lack nutrients. Thus, the process of their destruction is launched. It is at this moment that a memory impairment arises in the elderly.
Main reasons
Thanks to the development of medicine, doctors can bring the central nervous system of an elderly person to an optimal state. Today you can meet grandparents over 80 without the slightest hint of senile sclerosis. Indeed, old age is not a disease - it is a natural process of the body. But the health problems that accompany it are various pathologies that have their own premises and ways to eliminate them.
Among the main causes of senile sclerosis, doctors distinguish:
- Violation of full cerebral circulation.
- Not fast enough brain cell renewal.
- Disorder of biochemical processes.
Correct identification of the main cause of the disease at the stage of diagnosis allows you to choose the most effective treatment.
First manifestations
Symptoms and treatment of senile sclerosis are described in many scientific works. However, in each of them they pay attention to the advanced age of a person. Indeed, this disorder is most often encountered by older people.
In order not to miss the moment and seek medical help in a timely manner, relatives and friends should know the first signs of senile sclerosis. In total there are a large number of them. Only the most common are listed below:
- Problems with the speech apparatus.
- Memory loss.
- Pathological resentment.
- Negative perception of the surrounding reality.
- Visual impairment.
- Feeling of uselessness.
- Lack of coordination of movement.
The clinical picture is often supplemented by very specific symptoms. The patient's behavior changes dramatically, he loses his former interest in work. Habitual tasks (for example, brushing teeth, cooking) are now difficult to solve. Some become excessively greedy and begin to store unnecessary things in the apartment.
On the other hand, such a person makes an impression of a completely healthy person. He becomes talkative, constantly takes part in lively discussions. However, the simplest questions can perplex it. It is these symptoms of senile sclerosis that indicate the progression of the disease.
Stages of the development of the disease
In the development of the pathological process, it is customary to distinguish 3 stages. Each of them is characterized by certain manifestations and signs.
- At the initial stage, the patient has a sharp decrease in intellectual abilities. He is difficult to learn, but still able to take care of himself. He does not have difficulty preparing food, washing or going to the toilet.
- The second stage is characterized by a deterioration in the overall clinical picture. A person gradually loses the ability to use personal hygiene products, a mobile phone. He may suddenly forget how to turn on the stove or lock the front door.
- The third stage is simultaneously considered final. It is marked by complete insanity. The patient loses the skills of the simplest physiological processes. For example, he can cope with need in absolutely any place he likes. Such a person no longer understands how to properly hold the cutlery, why turn on the stove. At this stage, a patient who has been diagnosed with senile sclerosis requires constant care.
Necessary medical examination
When the first symptoms of the disease appear, you must immediately seek help from a neurologist. It is extremely undesirable to delay, because the nerve cells of the brain are destroyed at a high speed. The faster the doctor selects treatment, the higher the chances of slowing down this process.
Diagnosis of the disease begins with a survey of the patient and a study of his medical history. After that, the doctor prescribes a comprehensive examination, which includes the following measures:
- general blood analysis;
- MRI or CT scan of the brain;
- EEG;
- dopplerography.
In the presence of concomitant health problems, consultation with specialized specialists (for example, a cardiologist) may be required.
Principles of Recommended Therapy
There is no universal cure for senile sclerosis, because it is not possible to finally overcome the disease. Nerve cells are not restored.
What does modern medicine offer? Patients with such a diagnosis are primarily prescribed drug therapy. About it will be described in more detail below. To improve the general condition, they sometimes resort to traditional medicine.
Recovery can take a lot of effort and time. Therefore, the patient himself and his relatives should be patient. Attacks do not disappear immediately. In some cases, the reverse process begins, and memory is restored.
Drug use
Treatment of senile sclerosis begins with the appointment of nootropic drugs. Their long-term use allows to improve cognitive functions, stimulate cerebral circulation. Tablets should be prescribed only by a doctor. Otherwise, it can be harmful to health, despite the good tolerance of drugs from this group in old age.
As the body ages, the vessel walls begin to thin. As a result, the risk of rupture increases. Therefore, an integral part of drug therapy is the use of medicines to strengthen the vascular walls. Additionally, you may need help with drugs that contain caffeine and nicotinic acid. It is considered useful to take vitamins, which are useful at any age.
Senile sclerosis is often accompanied by rather unpleasant symptoms. Patients begin to behave aggressively and defiantly. Therefore, to stop nerve breakdowns, a doctor may recommend antidepressants. To bring a person to life, sometimes you can not do without tranquilizers. At the later stages of the development of the disease, taking only pills is no longer necessary; the help of specialists in the field of psychiatry is required.
Prognosis for recovery
Senile sclerosis of cerebral vessels - this is not a sentence. If a patient is prescribed high-quality and timely treatment, one can hope for a favorable prognosis. The use of drugs, as well as lifestyle changes, can slow the progression of the disease.
But it is important to understand that the patient will never be able to fully return to the previous state. The disease will sometimes manifest itself, even if the doctor's recommendations are followed.
Prevention Methods
To prevent the early development of the disease, it is necessary to periodically engage in its prevention.
First of all, doctors recommend revising the daily diet in favor of healthier foods, abandoning addictions. Sports will also be useful. Today in many specialized centers there are groups of exercise therapy, which are visited exclusively by the elderly. A change in the usual way of life is always positively reflected in the work of the whole organism.
An important component of prevention is constant memory training. Scientists have proven that, for example, solving crosswords and puzzles helps maintain mental activity. People who daily load their brains with logical tasks are much less likely to suffer from manifestations of senile dementia.