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THE PREVENTION AND
TREATMENT
OF
SENILE
DEMENTIA
Senile dementia is usually
seen
after
the age
of
60
and
gets more
common
at 70 years, especially
in
the
female.
Memory fails progressively,
beginning
from minor items but much
more
than
expected
from
normal aging. Progres-
sive loss
of
recent event
memory
(despite good past memory) constitutes
a
major
public
health problem especially
in rapidly aging populations
here.
lt
is
also
a
major social problem as worst
cases are
helpless "V on the street,
they
cannot
recall
the
home address, the
correct age
nor
the
names of
close
relatives,
let
alone progressive disori-
entation
in
time and space.
lt is
unlikely
to
be
due
to
general degenerative
changes in the elderly as
metabolic
brain abnormalities precede
clinical
ones.
Extensive
"senile
plaques"
containing amyloid beta or "A
beta"
protein occur;
'lau"
metabolic derange-
ments lead
to
brain
"fibril
tangles".
Cholinesterase inhibitors are proven
etfective symptomatic control; recently,
memantine, an N-methyl-D-aspartate
(NMDA) receptor blocker has
been
approved
in
Europe
for
advanced
dementia. Other medications
are
antioxidants,
e.9., vitamin
E, Ginkgo
biloba extracts and other
Chinese
herbs. Most recently,
tau
kinase
inhibitors are developed specifically
for
the
tau
pathology. Above all, adequate
control of related hypertension,
blood
cholesterol and diabetes,
etc.,
and
regular mental exercises are pivotal.
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