2023-12-11 12:22:10
Kim So-eun, neurologist at Ain Hospital
As people get older, one of the diseases that many people fear being diagnosed with by a neurologist is ‘dementia.’ If you suffer from dementia, you will not be able to remember past events or the names of people around you, and you will not be able to perform easy tasks in daily life, making it difficult to maintain your life without help.
Once diagnosed with dementia, continuous medication and examination are required, so there is a steady flow of dementia patients to the neurology department. Among them, ‘Alzheimer’s disease’, a degenerative brain disease, is the most common cause of dementia and accounts for 70-80% of all dementia patients. It mainly occurs following the age of 65, but rarely occurs in people in their 40s or 50s.
Alzheimer’s disease begins with symptoms such as memory impairment for recent events and poor cognitive ability for time and place, and gradually progresses to abnormalities in various other cognitive functions of the brain, such as language ability and judgment, eventually leading to normal brain function.
The cause is abnormal accumulation of beta-amyloid and tau proteins in the brain. These two proteins are originally brain cell substances, but when they accumulate in the form of toxic proteins, nerve cells die, leading to Alzheimer’s dementia.
Amyloid that functions normally is normally broken down and removed before it harms the brain. However, the betaimyloids produced when they break down abnormally aggregate together to form clumps, causing toxicity to nerve cells and reducing brain function.
The deposition of these proteins in the brain begins even before dementia symptoms appear. Since brain cells do not regenerate once damaged, prevention before symptoms occur is most important, and if symptoms are already present, efforts must be made to delay the progression of the disease.
For prevention, it is best to begin management by receiving brain imaging or neuropsychological tests at the stage of mild cognitive impairment, which is the pre-dementia stage.
The most important thing to prevent Alzheimer’s dementia is exercise. Even in people who have already developed dementia, regular exercise can slow down cognitive decline and prevent brain atrophy.
When you exercise, the blood volume to the brain increases, enriching the supply of oxygen and nutrients to brain cells, and increasing the production and secretion of nerve growth factors, protecting nerve cells and strengthening the brain network. Exercise for at least 150 minutes a week, but if possible, it is recommended to exercise consistently for at least 30 minutes a day, 5 times a week.
It is said that people who live alone are 1.5 times more likely to develop dementia. Meeting people with other people gives strong stimulation to the brain. This is because you need to find out who the person you are meeting is, learn regarding that person, and respond appropriately. This is why it is important to maintain relationships with people through appropriate social activities and hobbies even following retirement.
25 to 30 years following starting smoking, the risk of Alzheimer’s dementia increases by regarding 250%. This is because the risk of arteriosclerosis in the blood vessels increases and the inflammatory response in the body increases, weakening blood circulation in the brain and ultimately leading to the degeneration of nerve cells.
In addition, it is important to control diabetes and high blood pressure, manage weight, get good quality sleep, and abstain from alcohol.
Once the brain is damaged, it cannot be restored to its previous state, so it is best to manage it consistently to prevent it, and if symptoms related to dementia appear, visit a neurologist immediately for a checkup. If it is already in progress, treatment should be continued through consultation with a neurologist depending on the stage of progress.
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