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In addition to chronic and degenerative diseases by themselves and represent a serious health problem, hypertension and diabetes mellitus can cause dementia in people aged sixty years of age. This progressive loss of cognitive functions (memory most important recent) is due to the effects of atherosclerosis that produce these conditions in the vessels of the brain.

Specialists in Psychiatry, High Medical Unit No. 1 of the IMSS in Leon, said they often misplace keys, not remembering what was done yesterday, the name of relatives or forget discourse in which we live and have little interest in personal hygiene, some warning signs that family members may notice in the elderly as an indication that begins or develops dementia.

A common factor for people with dementia, they added, is that they often forget very recent events, almost instantaneously, for example, they can leave on the stove or open the taps and even remember who was Dinner the night above, but can not remember events from their early years of primary school attended or the names of their classmates.

Precisely at this time, they said, when he must begin to treat with drugs that can inhibit the production of an enzyme that destroys brain cells and increase production of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter essential in some areas of nervous system is essential for memory.

They explained that if detected and treated early the disease, memory loss will be slower and you get a better quality of life. It is even possible for the patient, keeping the memory alive.

On the decline of cognitive abilities, noted that there are two conditions that characterize this disease:  inability to perform daily activities such as using a spoon – “can not know what is, but this is used – and agnostic, which is the opposite, he knows the workings of the spoon, but do not remember his name.

When the disease is moderate to severe, treatment is difficult for aid and, instead, begin a series of complications. For example, if they stray out of it are exposed do not know how to get home.

They noted that dementia may be confused with severe depression; the old man is going to be an active person with a well-defined routine for someone who speaks little, is very sociable and tends to isolate.

The prevalence of dementia is one per cent among those over 60 years, rising to three per cent after 70 years and is almost five percent to more than 80 years, said.

They stressed that being a disease that is packaged with age is unavoidable, but you can avoid the risk factors favoring the development of chronic diseases, so that a balanced diet that includes fruits and vegetables and the ‘daily physical activity part of prevention. Also, something that is useful for all is “exercising the brain and the senses by reading, writing, sports, music or mathematics,” we must remember that the muscle is not used atrophies.