Dementia implies purchased ...

Dementia involves acquired cognitive impairment, so that mental retardation does not apply to dementia. The first step in the management of these patients is a diagnosis of dementia syndrome, the second - search for the cause of cognitive impairment. Dementia should be differentiated from age-related cognitive impairment. It is believed that the rate of decline of cognitive function is noted after 50 years, but the nature and extent of this reduction varies widely depending on the design of ongoing research and used in the scales. In recent years, increasing attention of researchers drew the concept of mild cognitive impairment (or more precisely - mild cognitive impairment, Eng. - Mild cognitive impairment, abbr. Engl. MCI). The presence of mild cognitive impairment is a risk factor for subsequent occurrence of dementia. It is believed that the basis for mild cognitive impairment in most cases it is Alzheimer's disease, the main manifestation of which is the mental disorders. Normal aging: cognitive sphere · Light impaired memory of recent events (such changes should not be manifested clinically, they are fixed by special neuropsychological techniques) · Reducing the speed of processing new information · Reduced learning ability • Increased processing time of neuropsychological tests · completely preserved the orientation of time, space and self, critical, thinking, counting, praxis, gnosis, language. Normal or nearly normal results of neuropsychological tests in patients complaining of memory loss may be associated with neurotic disorders and depression. Evaluation of cognitive · conversation with the patient and medical history (the estimated state memory, thinking, emotional) · Ability patient to perform simple or more complex instructions, the degree of interaction with the physician examination, slowness in responding to questions • Assessment of adaptation to living conditions , the preservation of labor skills (if the patient is running), the ability to develop new skills • Use of special short screening scales, such as a brief assessment of mental status scale (abbreviated English. - MMSE). The purpose of neuropsychological research is the objectification of cognitive impairment in patients with complaints of memory impairment, diagnosis of initial stages of dementia, and differential diagnosis of dementia and depression. Available in some patients impairment may not meet the criteria for dementia, although patients themselves or their families celebrate the changes of intellectual functions. This group might include socially active persons with higher education, psychiatric patients (with depression, anxiety) and patients with very mild dementia, which later may develop severe dementia. These patients demonstrated a dynamic observation of the re-inspection, usually within 6-12 months, that allows to document cognitive impairment.