[Hello, 헬스]Why an early finding of dementia is important

Dementia is a condition in which a person living in a normal life suffers from brain damage of various causes, resulting in cognitive functions of different areas such as memory, linguistic abilities and assessment, resulting in significant barriers to daily life.

The causes of dementia are degenerative diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, hydrocephalus, brain tumors, and the most common causal diseases are Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia.

Alzheimer's disease is a degenerative disease in which normally functioning cells die from unknown causes. 70% of senile dementia is Alzheimer's type, and the more severe the symptoms, the more severe the treatment is.
Vascular dementia is dementia caused by brain damage caused by cerebrovascular disease, and often occurs when there is a risk factor for stroke, such as hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia or heart disease.

Dementia is a "progressive chronic disease" that has no cure that can be cured. The goal is to slow down the progression.

In particular, early initiation of therapy can delay progression of dementia, prolong the patient's independence, and reduce the time and expenses of care for patients.

The family of a patient can enjoy about 7900 hours of free time in the next 8 years and save 63 million won. After five years, the enrollment rate for old-age homes was reduced by 55%.

On the other hand, if it does not cure, it will pay V580,000 per month in care costs, compared to three years after the start of dementia, and will pay V110,000 per month for eight years. Three years after the onset of dementia, the time of care is two hours longer than the treatment group, and eight hours later, it takes another four hours.

If the cause of the early onset of brain tumor dementia, severe depression, thyroid disease, adverse drug reactions, nutritional problems, etc., treatment can be restored.

Dementia is usually divided into early, middle and late stages. From the point of cognitive impairment, which is the phase before dementia,

It is important to note that mild cognitive impairment is not an apparently pathological condition, but a condition that can objectively or clinically determine the onset of pathological changes in dementia.

At this stage, we need to focus on the development of a "brain reserve" that can maintain a cognitive function against brain atrophy or damage. Artistic and musical therapy and physical activity are one of the "cognitive interventional therapies" that develop brain reserve and attract attention as a method for treating without drugs for strength and early dementia.

From an early stage of dementia, drugs for improving cognitive functions can be more effective.

Another reason why early diagnosis and treatment for dementia is important is the expectation that it will be a treatment for dementia. The development of the treatment of Alzheimer's disease for dementia continues throughout the world, and in Korea,·Biomarker·And the development of therapeutic drugs.

"If a normal person becomes a memory impairment, the cognitive function decreases and becomes a mildly cognitive patient injury, and worse, it becomes a patient with dementia," said Professor Vonkvang University Hospital. "From the very beginning, drugs can maintain an independent lifestyle for a long time and maintain the elegance and dignity you have," he said. "This is important because it's the best way to slow down the progression of dementia. It was high.

Kvon Oh-iong reporter [email protected]