'Ageing alone does not cause dementia'
Published on: Sunday, August 07, 2016
Kota Kinabalu: Ageing alone does not cause dementia but certain brain diseases such as silent stroke, says Senior Consultant Neurologist Dr Nagaendran Kandiah.He said the condition is highly prevalent in Asian countries but continues to be misunderstood because it is not a subject that the public usually talk about."A lot of people don't talk about it. If someone's mother who is 70 years old is forgetful, they say it is part of ageing.
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But actually it's not ageing. It's a disease. There are many people who are 90 years old but are still sharp. "So ageing alone doesn't cause dementia," he told Daily Express after presenting his paper entitled "Dementia – Asian Style" at the 12th National Geriatric Conference here.Dr Kandiah, who is from the National Neuroscience Institute, Singapore and is one of the world's leading researchers in dementia, has discovered that a lot of patients who were suffering from the disease had silent stroke."Stroke usually means that someone comes with paralysis. But when we say silent stroke they don't have paralysis but they have lesions on the brain scan," he explained.
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He said there is a high burden of Alzheimer disease and silent stroke among Asians where a recent study has demonstrated both the diseases co-exist in 80 per cent of patients with dementia, including Malaysians.He further explained that silent stroke which is due to diabetes, hypertension cholesterol and smoking, is more common in older persons aged 65 and above.
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He said among the signs is memory problem and silent stroke is highly likely especially when a patient has diabetes and hypertension. "But when a patient has dementia and silent stroke it will present with what I call executive problems where he can't plan and organise (certain simple tasks) like cooking or using the remote control," said Dr Kandiah. He said it takes six months after the first symptoms for the condition to worsen in a person who suffers from dementia at which point he can no longer perform even the simplest tasks, like bathing and eating by himself.Excessive alcohol consumption and low education, he said, are also two big risk factors of dementia."Education is not about going to a university but being mentally active. Patients should keep their mind active by reading, playing board games," he advised.He said although there are medications, dementia and silent stroke may be prevented by treating the causes and living a healthy lifestyle. He also said the change of lifestyle and diet has made silent stroke a disease that knows no age. "My youngest patient was 39 years old."Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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