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Memory Problems and Memory Loss in 20s
Memory Problems and Memory Loss in 20s
Dementia can also affect young people from 20s to 30s
Dementia can also affect young people from 20s to 30s
Dementia especially affects the elderly. But young people well under 65 can also be affected. Then not only do brain disorders and memory problems occur - the personality is also changed.
Dementia is also possible at a younger age
Dementia is also possible at a younger age
Dementia has many faces. There are more than 50 forms of the disease. According to the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, around 1.4 million people in Germany suffer from it - and the trend is rising. People over 65 years of age are almost always affected.
But younger people can also get sick: "These people are completely out of the ordinary," explains Prof. Richard Dodel from the German Society for Neurology (DGN) in Siegen. Most of them are still in their professional life and are tied into fixed schedules. Colleagues, friends and family do not immediately think of an illness if the efficiency of the memory decreases, forgetfulness increases, behavior changes noticeably or orientation problems occur.
Memory problems : when are forgetfulness and memory lapses pathological?
Symptoms: Changes in personality are typical
Symptoms: Changes in personality are typical
But these symptoms are characteristic of frontotemporal dementia, or FTD for short. As with all forms of dementia, cells in the brain die, in this case in the frontal lobe and the temporal lobe. "Five to ten percent of all dementia sufferers suffer from some form of FTD," explains neurologist Richard Dodel.
Typical symptoms for this are personality changes, behavior and language disorders, says Dodel. As a rule, those affected did not register the change; they are extremely stressful for the environment. "It's the same organism, but a different person," says Prof. Christian Haass, dementia researcher at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) in Munich.
Doctors refer to conspicuous memory problems as amnesia . Amnesias can capture past events (retrograde amnesia) and current information (anterograde amnesia). The memory impairment is not necessarily a symptom of the onset of dementia. Depending on the cause, the amnesia either disappears or remains permanently.
When memory fails : Causes and symptoms of amnesia in 20s and 30s
When memory fails : Causes and symptoms of amnesia in 20s and 30s
Alzheimer's disease also occasionally affects younger people
Alzheimer's disease, from which two-thirds of people with dementia suffer, cognitive abilities and general thinking abilities decline. In addition to the typical signs such as memory gaps, poor memory and concentration problems, there are also disorientation and personality changes.
When to the doctor If symptoms of this kind occur in connection with pronounced memory impairment over a long period of time, you should see a doctor. To make a diagnosis, the doctor examines the blood and then usually has a computer tomography of the brain performed. In Alzheimer's disease, the typical protein deposits (plaques) appear on the image.
However, Alzheimer's only occasionally affects younger people. "It's always a hereditary predisposition," says Haass. In all age groups, dementia can also be the result of other diseases, such as a circulatory disorder in the brain, a thyroid disease, depression and stroke. High blood pressure can also cause memory loss and brain performance to decline. If the primary disease is treatable, the dementia usually improves too.
Treatment and Therapy for Alzheimer's Disease in Young People
Treatment and Therapy for Alzheimer's Disease in Young People
Unfortunately, Alzheimer's dementia cannot be completely treated, but certain measures and treatment with medication can delay the course of the disease. Treatment with antidementia drugs and with has proven to be effective. Neuroleptics are also used in the treatment of Alzheimer's. They serve to alleviate accompanying symptoms such as delusions, anxiety and restlessness.
In addition, the disease can be alleviated if the living conditions are stable and the patient accepts certain therapies such as occupational therapy, behavioral therapy or music therapy.
Special care required for younger patients
Special care required for younger patients
Alzheimer's disease, FTD, and most other types of progressive dementia are incurable. The care is therefore all the more important. "Especially with younger people it is difficult to get involved with the restrictions," explains social worker Susanna Saxl of the German Alzheimer Society (DalzG). Unlike with sick people in retirement, the care of children or the regulation of old-age provision are also an issue here As a rule, those affected early are also more physically fit.
How Sport Is The Best Therapy For Memory Problems In 20S and 30s
How Sport Is The Best Therapy For Memory Problems In 20S and 30s
Physical fitness is a challenge for caregivers, for those affected it is an opportunity: "Sport is the only thing you can do against dementia," says Prof. Haass. "Animal experiments have shown that physical and mental exercise does not prevent dementia, but slows it down."
There should always be mental and physical stimulation for patients, even in a
home. Such offers are harder to find among more active younger people. "You can try it in a workshop for the disabled," suggests Saxl. She also considers residential facilities for the mentally ill with frontotemporal dementia to be a possible alternative to nursing homes.
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