Dementia Is Not A Disease For The Old

Dementia is a prolonged or progressive syndrome that results in deterioration in cognitive function. The ability to process thought is greatly severed beyond the expected in cases of normal aging. Dementia affects language, calculation, thinking, orientation, memory, comprehension, judgment, and learning capacity. It never affects one’s consciousness. Deterioration in emotional regulation, motivation or social behavior mostly accompanies or precedes the impairment in cognitive function.

A variety of diseases and injuries cause dementia. They primarily or sometimes secondarily affect the brain, with perfect examples being the Alzheimer’s illness or stroke. It is not only those who suffer from the condition that bear the brunt of its effects but also the caregivers and families of those living with the condition. The responsibility and stress of taking care of a friend or loved one who is suffering from the dementia can be great. It has been identified as an important cause of disability and dependency especially among older people across the globe. It impacts severe physical, physiological, social and economic ramifications on those affected. 

Dementia comes in different forms or causes. There is no distinct margin between the various forms of dementia and mixed forms of the problem do co-exist. The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease that has been identified to contribute to 60-70% of the cases. Some other forms of dementia include several conditions that cause frontotemporal dementia, vascular dementia, and dementia with Lewy bodies. The Lewy bodies are strange protein aggregates that usually develop inside nerve cells. 

Though dementia is commonly associated with seniors, it sometimes affects people with not so advanced ages. Though rare, several cases of people suffering from the condition while still young have been identified. Stan Mikita, a retired professional ice hockey player, has been well-known to suffer dementia with Lewy bodies. The Slovak-born Canadian is regarded as one of the best players of the game in the 1960s. His memory and cognitive function are known to have been slowly waning for years since he was relatively young. Once old age caught up with him, his cognitive function rapidly deteriorated and a few months later, his diagnosis of Lewy body dementia was made public.

It is suspected that Mikita's problems could have started way back during his playing days due to the repeated concussions the players suffer during gameplay. Science has it that repeated head trauma can result in a progressive neurodegenerative disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). The neurodegeneration eventually results in dementia. 

Lewy body dementia severely disrupts movement, thinking, sleep, movement, and behavior. Hallucinations and symptoms of Parkinson’s disease may accompany it. Mikita’s family has no objection to giving out his brain for a postmortem on his demise to pave the way for further scientific research on the disease. An illness that could have started way back during his playing days, yet people so often mistake it as a disease of those who are elderly.