A stroke is bad enough, but dementia as a result of this? This is actually a risk. We will explain how the diseases are related and how each of us can prevent.
“The more often a person suffers a stroke, the greater the risk that he is suffering from vascular dementia,” says Professor Wolf-Rüdiger Schäbitz, neurologist to the Protestant hospital of Bethel in Bielefeld, Germany. Typical of a vascular dementia is that the Patient has a stroke, memory disorders, cognitive limitations, or difficulty in concentration suffers.
More: children dementia: Similar mechanisms as in adults
High blood pressure – a risk factor for strokes
Stroke after stroke
In Germany alone, about 260,000 people are affected each year. Often it does not remain at just one stroke. “This is true even if the person is optimally treated,” says Schäbitz. “It is not rare that patients have seizures more impact. Statistically, the risk of developing a dementia increases. After a first stroke, the probability is about ten percent, after several, you can increase up to 40 percent,” explains Schäbitz, head of the German stroke society.
Dementia does not equal Alzheimer’s
In the case of dementia, most to Alzheimer’s disease and that dementia develops slowly and insidiously. In the case of Alzheimer’s disease is in fact so. But there are significant differences to vascular dementia, which can be caused by a stroke.
In each case, individual areas of the brain are affected. There are regions for different functions. In the case of Alzheimer’s, however, the entire brain is affected by the Degeneration.
The “classic” stroke
A stroke is mainly expressed by a half-sided paralysis. So the Affected person can’t move one side of the body, not more taxes and more control – a typical detection characteristic. First responders, the so-called ALMOST-Schema (Face, Arms, Speech, Time) should – as in the Video shown – to apply to lose when there is a suspicion on a stroke, no valuable time.
“Disorders of blood circulation in the brain may lie in a Region which controls, for example, the motor skills or the language,” says Professor Martin Dichgans, Director of the Institute for stroke and dementia research, Klinikum of University of Munich.
The eyesight can be impaired. It comes to the appropriate default. “There are regions in the brain that have to do with memory functions. Many of the smaller strokes in the back part of the brain and interfere with the Connections between different brain regions. Together, they continue to constitute what we understand by the intellectual faculties,” says dichgans.
More about: dementia prevention using Computer-brain Training
The initial care after a stroke is best done in a specialized Stroke Unit
Less strokes – less often-vascular dementia
High blood pressure is a major risk factor for stroke and for dementia. “Only 50 percent of people who have high blood pressure, know anything at all about it. Of them 50 percent are in treatment and, in turn, 50 percent receive adequate treatment,” says Dichgans. Because you give, of course, an incredible potential.
This applies both to the number of strokes as well as the result of disease, namely dementia. Elevated blood pressure can each prevent: a Minimum of 30 minutes of exercise every day. Reasonable diet, reduce excess weight, stop Smoking. Simple measures, yet highly effective, and scientifically proven. But of the relevant information is still missing.
More: “To Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and AS we answer all the open questions”
A stroke can meet different regions in the brain
It affects all of us
Many people dismiss the topic of dementia, because they do not believe that it affects you – yet -. The neurologist Dichgans contradicts, and says, we should be much more attentive to the people around us. He, too, had a personal key experience: “I once walked with us through the neighborhood when suddenly I heard out of the window, cries for help,” says the doctor. He followed the thing, and it turned out that there was an emergency in a house, where several severely demented Alzheimer’s patients lived. “I was asked as a doctor in the short term to help. Since I became aware that these problems exist in our immediate neighbourhood, in houses, in which I have weeks and months was over run.”
Prevention as a top priority
And we will have to do in our society, more and more often with dementia, because the population is getting older. “The great continents, as Asia, in particular India and China, are developed, are lagging, sometimes considerably, when it comes to pay attention to the lifestyle and vascular risk factors,” says Dichgans. Many of the preventive measures and means are available to protect the vessels. But often, these ways of patients, but also Physicians not accepted.
“It is necessary to make the Public and policy attention to the fact that prevention is important. We have a responsibility in this area, also in the research. We need to invest at all levels”, Dichgans convinced. “It relates to epidemiology, it relates to basic research, and it relates to clinical research, application, and health services research. There are still enormous problems to come to us.” Which need to be solved. And it applies: “Prevention is better than Cure.”
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So you can prevent dementiaDown with the pounds
Anyone who is overweight, you should definitely do something about it, especially about diet and exercise. The movement not only helps in reducing fat, but also improves the blood circulation and the metabolism.
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So you can prevent dementiaMediterranean Diet
Many studies indicate that a healthy diet – rich in vegetables, salad, and vegetable fats – has blood vessels a positive effect on the blood. Anyone who has a low risk of getting a heart attack or stroke, has a lower risk of dementia – the epidemiological studies.
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So you can prevent dementiaSports calls
Physical exercise not only keeps the blood vessels on the trot, and is therefore useful for dementia, but it helps the brain directly, The brain must control the body, finally, and settles down on it. The orientation ability and memory will improve.
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So you can prevent dementiaWay with the Fags
It’s never giving up was so easy with the smoke as it is today: Almost everywhere it is forbidden and fewer and fewer people grab for the cigarette. Thus, the incentive to society is a mitzurauchen, low. Nicotine is a neurotoxin! If that’s not enough as an Argument: It also increases the risk of circulatory disorders.
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So you can prevent dementiaAlcohol is pure poison
Also, alcohol is a neurotoxin In higher doses it damages the brain directly. This is also evidenced by multiple studies.
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So you can prevent dementiaMental Activity Is
Any Form of mental activity keeps the brain in shape: It is not only the pure puzzle-solving, and memorizing. Much more important is the social contacts. The challenge and promote the memory. Important: With other talking things remain, and organize.
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So you can prevent dementiaBest: Dancing
That keeps you young and healthy: music, society, movement, and body control. To prevent dementia, there is probably nothing Better than a regular dance evening. But here, too, the medicine is no guarantee for life-long success: a dancer can eventually develop dementia.