Causes of dementia and various factors that increase the risk

Dementia or is a group of symptoms that affect a person's ability to remember, think, speak and act. Generally, this disease attacks the elderly over the age of 65. However, it is possible that young people can also get this disease. So, do you know what causes dementia, aka dementia? Come on, find out the answer below.

What are the causes of dementia (senile disease)?

Dementia is generally caused by damage or loss of nerve cells in the brain. More specifically, according to the National Health Service website based in the UK, it mentions the various causes of dementia according to the types.

Causes of Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease is one of the most common types of dementia. The cause of this disease is the disruption of two proteins in the brain, namely amyloid or tau. Amyloid deposits, called plaques, will accumulate around the brain cells and form tangles in the brain cells.

Then, tau protein that fails to work normally can also interfere with the work of brain cells (neurons), and release a series of toxic substances. This condition will eventually cause damage and kill brain cells.

Usually, the part of the brain that is often affected by this disease is the hippocampus, which is responsible for regulating memory. That is why, the earliest symptom of Alzheimer's disease is easy forgetfulness or memory loss.

Causes of vascular dementia

Vascular dementia results from reduced blood flow to the brain. In fact, nerve cells in the brain need oxygen and nutrients from the blood to keep working optimally. When the blood supply to the brain decreases, nerve cells function poorly and eventually die.

Well, this reduced blood flow to the brain can occur by various things, including:

• There is narrowing of the small blood vessels deep in the brain. This condition is known as subcortical vascular dementia which is prone to attacking smokers, diabetics, or people with hypertension (high blood pressure).
• Having a stroke, which is a condition when the blood supply to a part of the brain is suddenly cut off, usually as a result of a blood clot. This condition is known as post-stroke dementia.

Causes of Lewis body dementia

The cause of this type of senile disease is the presence of small clumps of alpha-synuclein protein that can develop in brain cells. These clots interfere with the performance of cells to work and communicate with each other, and cause cells to eventually die.

This type of dementia is closely related to Parkinson's disease, which often causes patients to experience movement difficulties and frequent falls.

Causes of frontotemporal dementia

People with dementia are usually younger, which is around 45 to 65 years. The cause is abnormal protein clumping, including tau protein in the frontal (front) and temporal (side) lobes of the brain.

The clumping of the protein causes nerve cell damage and ends up killing brain cells. Eventually, the brain will shrink in size. This type of dementia is very likely to run in the family because of certain genetic factors that are inherited.

Other causes of dementia

In very rare cases, the cause of dementia is associated with a variety of rare conditions, such as:

• Huntington's disease (a condition that causes brain function to malfunction over time).
• Cortocobasal degeneration (a rare condition that causes gradual worsening of body movement, speech, memory, and swallowing problems).
• Progressive supranuclear palsy (a rare condition that causes problems with balance, body movements, vision, and the ability to speak).

Causes of increased risk of deensia (senile disease)

Apart from the causes, there are several things that can increase a person's risk of developing dementia in the future, including:

1. Age

Dementia has long been associated with decreased cognitive function of the brain as a side effect of natural aging. That's why the older you are, the greater your risk of developing dementia.

Aging not only causes wrinkles on your face and gray hair on your head, it also weakens your immune system and its ability to repair damaged cells - including nerve cells in the brain.

Old age also causes the work of the heart to pump fresh blood is no longer as optimal as it used to be. The brain that does not get enough fresh blood can over time experience shrinkage, which in turn affects its function.

It is these factors that are strongly thought to affect a person's risk of developing dementia in old age.

2. Actively smoking and drinking excessive alcohol

Research in the 2015 Plos One Journal shows that active smokers have an up to 30% higher risk of developing dementia than non-smokers. The longer you get used to smoking and the more cigarettes you finish, the risk of dementia increases.

Smoking can damage the body's blood vessels, interfere with blood circulation, and increase your risk of heart disease. These factors are the reason why smokers are more likely to develop dementia (senile disease) than nonsmokers.

Not only smoking, drinking excessive alcohol can also be a cause of a high risk of dementia. This is because substances contained in alcohol in large amounts can possibly cause inflammation of the body's cells.

3. Inherit certain genes

Certain genes that are inherited from parents can contribute to a higher risk of dementia or dementia disease. The study found several genes that trigger disease in the brain, namely Presenilin 1 (PSEN1), Presenilin 2 (PSEN2), and the Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP) gene.

This gene acts to influence protein processing in the brain, leading to Alzheimer's disease causing abnormal protein formation.

4. The disease you are experiencing

There are many diseases that can cause dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and circulatory disorders (stroke and atherosclerosis) which can be caused by high cholesterol.

Cholesterol plaque buildup can narrow blood vessels, interfering with blood flow to the brain. This can impair the ability of brain cells to function properly and can eventually lead to the death of brain cells.

Diabetes also appears to have contributed to an increased risk of dementia, which is often not realized. Just like high cholesterol, uncontrolled diabetes can over time damage blood vessels, including blood vessels that lead to the brain, as well as the nerves in the brain.

In addition, psychiatric illnesses such as depression can also reduce brain health and sleep apnea can also increase the risk of stroke associated with dementia.

5. Lazy to exercise

Another cause that can increase the risk of dementia or dementia is laziness to exercise. The reason is, minimal exercise time can increase your risk of various chronic diseases that affect brain function.

For example, heart disease, impaired blood circulation, bloated stomach and obesity, to diabetes - all of these are risk factors for dementia. So, if you have been procrastinating on starting exercise, it's good to immediately make up your mind and start planning your exercise schedule.

6. Unhealthy eating patterns

Your diet during this time also indirectly contributes to the increased risk of dementia in the future. Mostly eating fatty foods, which are too much salt, as well as too much sugar intake can cause various health problems that affect the health of the heart, blood vessels and brain.

In addition, a poor diet can also cause low levels of vitamin D, vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12 and folate which can lead to dementia later in life.

7. Often think negatively

A recent study found that repeated negative thinking was associated with cognitive decline and increased stores of protein content that causes Alzheimer's disease, which is the most common cause of dementia.

"Repetitive negative thinking can be a new risk factor for dementia," said Natalie Marchant, a psychologist and senior researcher in the department of mental health at University College London. This includes a tendency to think negatively (worry) about the future or ruminate negatively about the past.