Dementia

Causes & Risk Factors

There are many causes of dementia, many of which are as a result of damage or changes in the brain. These include:

• Certain disease such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Lewy body disease etc., (See Dementia Types for more examples)

• Certain diseases that affect the blood vessels due to stroke which can cause multi-infarct dementia. (See Vascular Dementia)

• Excessive consumption of alcohol and drugs.

• Deficiency in nutrition such as vitamin B12 and folate deficiency.

• Infections such as AIDS, dementia complex and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. (See Dementia Types)

• Accumulation of fluid (hydrocephalus) in the brain can lead to developmental abnormalities, injuries, infections and/or brain tumors.

• Head injuries – may be a single severe injury or several injuries as in the case of boxers. (See Dementia Pugilistica, #8 )

• Illness of the kidney or liver, and lung infections (6).

In addition, the following conditions also can cause dementia.

• Poisoning or exposure to lead and heavy metals could lead to an onset of dementia.

• Diminished supply of oxygen to the brain (Anoxia or Hypoxia) and/or nerve cells in the brain can lead to coma or stupor in patients within a few hours to weeks, depending on the “...severity of the oxygen deprivation.” (4) During recovery, various psychological and neurological abnormalities may develop leading to dementia or psychosis.

• Inadequate oxygen supply to brain cells due to chronic heart or lung problems may also lead to dementia (4).

Alzheimer’s disease causes 60% of dementia cases while 30% of dementias are due to vascular dementia and 10% being other causes (7).

Risk factors for dementia have been identified and include:

• Age: As a person advances in age, the risk of Alzheimer’s disease goes up and so does the likelihood of dementia.

• Genetics/Family history: As explained in Dementia Types, genetic mutations play a vital role in passing on the disorders to the offspring. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, (CJD),

• Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker, (GSS) or fatal familial insomnia occurs due to mutations in the prion protein gene. Abnormal genes may also cause Huntington’s Disease and frontotemporal dementia with Parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17. (FTDP-17) is linked to mutation of the tau gene causing dementia.

• Smoking and Alcohol Usage: Studies suggest that smokers are at risk of developing atherosclerosis and other types of vascular diseases.

• Atherosclerosis: Deposition of fatty substances, cholesterol and other matter in the inner lining of artery is called atherosclerosis. This accumulation of plaque leads to increased risk of vascular dementia and stroke due to reduced supply of oxygenated blood to the brain.

• Cholesterol: Higher levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) increases the risk of vascular dementia.

• Plasma Homocysteine: Higher than average levels of homocysteine in blood is a potential risk for development of vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

• Down Syndrome: Most of the people suffering from Down syndrome develop plaques and neurofibrillary tangles and many of them develop dementia. (4)

Article by Kona Vishnu, MS
Medical Writer,
OmniMedicalSearch.com

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