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  1. Also known as: major neurocognitive disorder
    Content medically reviewed by
    Dr. Rakshith Bharadwajverified specialist
    MD, Internal Medicine
    View full profile onLinkedIn logoLinkedIn
    Causes

    • Damage to brain cells is the primary cause of dementia. Causes for this damage include:
    • Advance age, as in case of Alzheimer’s disease
    • Family history
    • Damage to blood vessels of the brain
    • Accumulation of clumps of protein in the brain
    • Genetic disorders such as Huntington's disease
    • Mental and neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and depression
    • Traumatic brain injury or repetitive brain injury as seen in boxers
    • Infections which cause high fever
    • Metabolic disorders such as thyroid problems and diabetes
    • Certain medications
    • Vitamin deficiencies
    • Poisoning with heavy metals or pesticides
    • Alcohol abuse
    • Brain tumor or cancer
    • Enlarged structures of the brain

    Symptoms
    If you are experiencing new, severe, or persistent symptoms, contact a health care provider.

    The symptoms include:

    Cognitive and sensory changes:

    • Memory loss, generally noticed by the near and dear ones
    • Difficulty in communication, especially finding the right words to communicate
    • Reduced ability to organize, plan, reason, or solve problems
    • Difficulty handling complex tasks
    • Confusion and disorientation
    • Difficulty with coordination and motor functions
    • Loss of or Reduced visual perception
    • Metallic taste in mouth, decreased sense of smell
    • Agnosia - unable to identify objects or persons

    Psychological changes:

    Complications

    After a prolonged period it may lead to:

    • Loss of appetite
    • Malnutrition
    • Weight loss
    • Pneumonia
    • Inability to perform tasks without help
    • Inability to perform self-care or hygienic tasks such as bathing, dressing, using toilets, etc
    • Protecting self from any harmful situations

    Source: Focus Medica . For informational purposes only. Consult a medical professional for advice. Learn more
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  2. People also ask
    This is the most common cause of dementia, accounting for 60 to 80 percent of cases. It is caused by specific changes in the brain. The trademark symptom is trouble remembering recent events, such as a conversation that occurred minutes or hours ago, while difficulty remembering more distant memories occurs later in the disease.
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    Dr. Eduarda Mucelin

    Doctor of Medicine - MD · 1 years of exp

    Mean behavior associated with anger can be one of the symptoms of dementia. Those moments can appear suddenly, without an apparent reason, or as a result of frustration. Frustrating situations include experiencing the loss of an ability they previously had by failing a task, for example. Is it important to note, though, that and agressive behavior alone does not mean a dementia diagnosis.
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    1 more answer
    microsoftstart.msn.com
    Dementia is caused by damage to or loss of nerve cells and their connections in the brain. The symptoms depend on the area of the brain that's damaged. Dementia can affect people differently. Dementias are often grouped by what they have in common.
    Mixed dementia. Autopsy studies of the brains of people age 80 and older who had dementia indicate that many had a combination of several causes. People with mixed dementia can have Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia and Lewy body dementia. Studies are ongoing to determine how having mixed dementia affects symptoms and treatments.
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