Dementia
About 5-8% of all people over the age of 65 have some
form of dementia, and this number doubles every five years above that
age.
Dementia is the loss of mental ability that is severe enough to
interfere with
people's every life and Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of
dementia
in aging people. American typical diet contains high amount of saturated
and trans fat, artificial ingredients with less fruits and vegetable
which can lead to dementia and other kind of diseases
I. Causes of Dementia
A. Medication Causes of Dementia
As aging, accumulation of toxins of certain medication used to treat
certain diseases, such as antidepressants, sedatives, cardiovascular
drugs and anti-anxiety
medications may cause increased risk of cognitive dysfunction leading
to produced dementia-like symptoms.(1)
1. Antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, antipsychotics and benzodiazepines
An Antidepressants is a psychiatric medication used to treat mood disorders, such as major depression and dysthymia and anxiety disorders. In a
study conducted by Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center of total of
230 participants were followed for a mean of 3.7 years. Persistency
index (PI) was calculated for all antidepressants,
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), antipsychotics
(atypical and typical), and benzodiazepines as the proportion of
observed time of medication exposure, found that Psychotropic medication use was associated with more rapid cognitive and
functional decline in AD, and not with improved NPS. Clinicians may
tend to prescribe psychotropic medications to AD patients at risk of
poorer outcomes, but one cannot rule out the possibility of poorer
outcomes being caused by psychotropic medications(2)
2. Anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
Lower risks for AD and all-cause dementia were significantly associated with the use of any NSAIDs and the salicylates without barbiturates
subgroup in the study sample including subjects with CIND at baseline.
There was a weak association between any NSAIDs and the risk of CIND
(hazard ratio, 0.87; 95% confidence interval, 0.76-1.00)(3)
3. Cannabis
Cannabis has been used for the treatment of a
number of conditions, including neuropathic
pain, treatment of spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis, and
chemotherapy-induced nausea, etc,. In the study conducted by University of Western Australia showed that he chronic use of cannabis
may impair intellectual abilities but data on this topic remain sparse
and difficult to interpret. In conclusion, there is evidence that some
drugs contribute to the causal pathway that leads to the development of
cognitive impairment but currently available data do not support the
introduction of a separate diagnostic category of drug-induced dementia (such as alcohol-related dementia)(4).
4. Hallucinogens
Hallucinogens are psychedelic drugs, used primary action is to alter cognition and perception, leading to distortion of sensory perception, and other psychic and
somatic effects, including sweating,
heart palpitations, blurring of vision, memory loss, trembling, and
itching(5)
5. Others
a. Corticosteroids
Corticosteroids are synthetic drugs that closely resemble cortisol, a steroid hormones produced by the adrenal glands to assist
the physiologic processes, including stress response, immune response,
and regulation of inflammation, carbohydrate metabolism, behavior, etc.
but an
excess can cause agitation and even actual psychoses.
b. Fluoroquinolone antibiotics
Fluoroquinolone antibioticsare are medication taken to treat a variety
of infections and found to be associated with delirium in elderly patients.
c. H2-receptor antagonists
H2-receptor antagonists are medicines taken to reduce the amount of
acid the stomach by blocking one important producer of histamine2 and are associated with delirium in elderly
patients.
d. Anticonvulsants
Anticonvulsants are types of medication used to treat epileptic seizure act on
brain through different mechanisms and found to be associated with drowsiness and difficulty thinking, some more commonly
than others.
e. Etc.
Sources
(1) http://www.ehow.com/how-does_5510964_prescription-drugs-cause-dementia.html
(2) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22374884
(3) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22546354
(4) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16240487
(5) http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/1880
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