Older sclerosis: causes, symptoms and treatment

Many people of advanced age complain of pathological forgetfulness. Most often this symptom indicates the development of a serious disease - senile sclerosis. In the medical literature, you can find other names for this condition: dementia, dementia , insanity, psychosis, etc. The above concepts unite the general clinical picture and methods of treatment.

Brief description of the disease

Many people know that nerve cells are not characterized by the ability to recover. This statement has been repeatedly proved by numerous studies. If neurons die, this process has a negative effect on the entire body. A person develops neurological diseases. And one of them is senile sclerosis.

In everyday life, we mention this pathology when talking about memory problems. To a greater extent, they are subject to older people, but the youth, unfortunately, do not lag behind them today. But if in young men and girls, the onset of the disorder is usually due to prolonged overexertion, then the old people begin to fully die of nerve cells. The speed of this process is always individual and directly depends on the state of the vessels.

In turn, this system is a reflection of nutrition, lifestyle and heredity. When the blood vessels cease to function fully, oxygen-enriched blood does not enter the brain and other organs. Nerve cells begin to lack nutrients. Thus, the process of their destruction is started. It is at this moment that memory impairment in the elderly occurs.

Main reasons

Thanks to the development of medicine, doctors can bring the CNS of an elderly person to an optimal state. Today, you can meet grandparents over 80 without the slightest hint of senile sclerosis. After all, old age is not a disease - it is a natural process of vital activity of the body. But the health problems accompanying him are different kinds of pathologies that have their prerequisites and ways of elimination.

Among the main causes of senile sclerosis doctors singled out:

1. Violation of high-grade cerebral circulation.
2. Insufficiently fast renewal of brain cells.
3. Disorder of biochemical processes.

Correct identification of the main cause of the disease at the stage of diagnosis allows you to select the most effective treatment.

The first manifestations

Symptoms and treatment of senile sclerosis are described in many scientific works. However, in each of them pay attention to the advanced age of a person. Indeed, with this disorder, elderly people often have to face.

In order not to miss the moment and seek medical help in a timely manner, relatives and relatives should know the first signs of senile sclerosis. In total there are a large number of them. Below are listed only the most common:

1. Problems with the speech device.
2. Memory loss.
3. Pathological sensitivity.
4. Negative perception of the surrounding reality.
5. Visual impairment.
6. Feeling of uselessness.
7. Violation of coordination of movement.

The clinical picture is often supplemented by very specific symptoms. The patient sharply changes his behavior, he loses his former interest in the work. The usual tasks (for example, brushing teeth, cooking) are now difficult to solve. Some become excessively greedy and start storing unnecessary things in the apartment.

On the other hand, such a person makes an impression and a completely healthy personality. He becomes talkative, constantly takes part in lively discussions. However, the simplest questions can put him at a dead end. It is these symptoms of senile sclerosis that indicate the progression of the disease.

Stages of the disease development

In the development of the pathological process, it is common to distinguish 3 stages. Each of them is characterized by certain manifestations and signs.

• At the initial stage, the patient has a sharp decrease in intellectual abilities. He is not easy to learn, but still able to take care of himself. He does not have difficulties in preparing food, washing or going to the toilet.
• The second stage is characterized by a worsening of the overall clinical picture. A person gradually loses the ability to use personal hygiene products, a mobile phone. He can suddenly forget how to turn on the stove or lock the front door.
• The third stage is also considered conclusive. It is marked by complete insanity. The patient loses the skills of the simplest physiological processes. For example, he can address the need in absolutely any place he likes. Such a person no longer understands how to properly keep cutlery, why include a stove. At this stage, the patient, who was diagnosed with age-related sclerosis, needs constant care.

Necessary medical examination

When the first symptoms of the disease appear, you should immediately seek help from a neurologist. It is extremely undesirable to procrastinate, as the nerve cells of the brain are destroyed at a high rate. The sooner the doctor selects the treatment, the higher the chances of hindering this process.

Diagnosis of the disease begins with a questioning of the patient and a study of his anamnesis. After that, the doctor appoints a comprehensive examination, which includes the following activities:

• general blood analysis;
• MRI or CT of the brain;
• EEG;
• Dopplerography.

In the presence of concomitant health problems, consultation of narrow specialists (for example, a cardiologist) may be required.

Principles of recommended therapy

A universal medicine for senile sclerosis does not exist, because it is not possible to finally overcome the illness. Nerve cells are not restored.

What does modern medicine offer? Patients with this diagnosis in the first place are prescribed drug therapy. About it in more detail will be told just below. To improve the general condition, sometimes resort to the help of traditional medicine.

Recovery may take a lot of time and effort. Therefore, the patient himself and his relatives should be patient. Attacks do not disappear immediately. In some cases, the reverse process starts, and the memory is restored.

Application of medicines

Treatment of senile sclerosis begins with the appointment of nootropic drugs. Long-term use of them allows to improve cognitive functions, stimulate cerebral circulation. Tablets should be prescribed only by a doctor. Otherwise, you can hurt your health, despite the good tolerability of drugs from this group in the elderly.

As the body ages, the walls of the vessels begin to thin out. As a result, the risk of their rupture increases. Therefore, an integral part of drug therapy is the use of medications to strengthen the vascular walls. In addition, it may be necessary to use drugs that contain caffeine and nicotinic acid. It is also superfluous to take vitamins, which are useful at any age.

Older sclerosis is often accompanied by a rather unpleasant symptomatology. Patients begin to aggressively and defiantly behave. Therefore, to relieve nervous breakdowns, the doctor can recommend antidepressants. To bring a person to life, sometimes you can not do without tranquilizers. At later stages of the development of the disease, only tablets can be dispensed with, the assistance of specialists in the field of psychiatry is required.

Prognosis for recovery

The age-related sclerosis of cerebral vessels is not a verdict. If the patient is assigned quality and timely treatment, one can hope for a favorable prognosis. The use of medicines, as well as lifestyle changes can slow the progression of the disease.

But it is important to understand that the patient will never be able to fully return to the previous state. The disease will sometimes manifest itself, even if the doctor's recommendations are followed.

Methods of prevention

To prevent early development of the disease, it is necessary to periodically engage in its prevention.

First and foremost, doctors recommend a review of the daily diet in favor of a healthier meal, abandon the addictions. It will be useful and exercise. Today in many specialized centers there are LFK groups, which are visited only by people of advanced age. Change in the habitual way of life always positively affects the work of the whole organism.

An important component of prevention is the constant training of memory. Scientists have proved that, for example, solving crosswords and puzzles contributes to the preservation of mental activity. People who daily load the brain with logical tasks are much less likely to suffer from manifestations of senile dementia.