Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease: During the proceedings of Bihar Legislative Council, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar called former CM Rabri Devi a girl, on which RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav got angry. Tejashwi told CM Nitish that he was suffering from Alzheimer’s and dementia, after which there was an uproar over it. After this statement, questions started arising among the common people that what are dementia and Alzheimer’s diseases and what effect does it have on people’s brain?

Dr. Neeraj Kumar, Neurologist, Metro Hospital, Noida told News18. That first of all it is important to know the difference between dementia and Alzheimer’s. Dementia is a group of many diseases related to the brain. It affects a person’s thinking ability, memory, decision making and behavior. A person suffering from dementia starts having difficulty in doing everyday tasks. This problem mostly appears with increasing age. Elderly people are at greater risk of these diseases. Talking about Alzheimer’s, it is a progressive mental disorder and a common type of dementia. If understood in simple language, dementia is a group of many diseases including Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s is a disease of dementia.

What is Alzheimer’s disease?

Doctor Neeraj said that about 60 to 70 percent of dementia cases are related to Alzheimer’s. In this disease, brain cells gradually start getting destroyed, due to which memory becomes weak. Initially the patient starts forgetting recent things, but with time he forgets old memories, familiar faces and even his home address. Its common symptoms are frequent forgetting of things, inability to remember words during conversation, getting lost, sudden changes in mood, irritability and staying away from social activities. As this disease progresses, the condition of the brain keeps worsening.

What is the cause of this disease?

According to neurologists, there are many causes of Alzheimer’s. Increasing age, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, obesity and physical and mental inactivity can increase its risk. In some cases genetic factors also play a role. If not identified on time, the situation can worsen rapidly. Dementia and Alzheimer’s cannot be completely cured with medicines, but their progress can be controlled. The pace of the disease can be slowed down with medicines, mental exercises, balanced diet and healthy lifestyle.