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Dementia: Brain
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Dementia is not a specific disease. It is a descriptive term for a collection of symptoms that can be caused by a number of disorders that affect the brain. People with dementia have significantly impaired intellectual functioning that interferes with normal activities and relationships. They ... lose their ability to solve problems and maintain emotional control, and they may experience personality changes and behavioral problems such as agitation, delusions, and hallucinations. While memory loss is a common symptom of dementia, memory loss by itself does not mean that a person has dementia. Doctors diagnose dementia only if two or more brain functions - such as memory, language skills, perception, or cognitive skills including reasoning and judgment - are significantly impaired without loss of consciousness.
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Dementia is a word for a group of symptoms caused by disorders that affect the brain. It is not a specific disease. People with dementia may not be able to think well enough to do normal activities, such as getting dressed or eating. They may lose their ability to solve problems or control their emotions. Their personalities may change. They may become agitated or see things that are not there.
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Niemann Pick disease.Dementia may occur as a symptom of this group of genetic disorders. Patients with the disease cannot metabolize cholesterol and other types of fats normally, and these fats accumulate in the brain. The disease may begin during childhood, adolescence or early adulthood.
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Dementia occurs primarily in people who are over the age of 65, or in those with an injury or disease that affects brain function. While dementia is most commonly seen in the elderly, it is not a normal consequence of the aging process.
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Dementia may be diagnosed when a patient has two or more problems in brain function. Problems may involve language, memory, perception, emotional behavior or personality, and cognitive skills (such as calculation, abstract thinking, or judgment). Dementia usually first appears as forgetfulness. Other symptoms may only be seen during a medical exam or with cognitive tests.
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Dementia is first evaluated by a doctor who reviews the patient's history and performs a physical examination. Further testing is chosen according to clues from the history and physical. This testing might include blood and urine tests, chest x-ray, brain scanning (MRI or CAT scanning), electroencephalogram (EEG), and spinal fluid analysis by lumbar puncture procedure.
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