The possibility of dementia always scares people. However, some forms of dementia in people considered to be sacred. So, fools in Russia equated to the saints, their statements were considered prophetic. So what lies behind the term "dementia" and whether it is amenable to state some correction?

What is dementia and its manifestations

Dementia or dementia - is persistent impoverishment and simplification of mental activity, which is characterized by the weakening of cognitive processes, impoverishment of emotions and behavioral disorders.

When dementia is violated intellectual activity (especially its abstract and creative form), critical faculties, suspend or completely terminate the acquisition of new knowledge and skills, difficult to use past experience, reduced the level of mental activity, gradually lost the individual characteristics of the person, grow coarse and blunted feelings, behavior changes .

In some patients prevail lethargy, decreased activity and desires (apathetic dementia), in others there is severe motor and speech activity, which is often combined with the advent of lower instincts.

Dementia There are congenital and acquired.

Idiocy

Congenital dementia is the total, expressed in varying degrees of mental retardation Mental retardation - if the mind is underdeveloped   (underdevelopment of the mind). The cause of congenital dementia - violations that occurred during pregnancy.

Idiocy expressed in the inability to abstract thinking and understanding of specific situations, a limited supply of knowledge and difficulty of acquisition, underdevelopment of speech, memory weakness and poverty of emotions. Congenital dementia is a permanent condition, which is not peculiar to the further deepening lack of mental activity.

Dementia

Dementia usually occurs as a result of progressive mental illness. There are atherosclerotic, senile, paralytic, epileptic and schizophrenic dementia. By type of course distinguish between stationary (non-progressive) and progressive dementia, widespread (diffuse, total) and partial (partial).

Not partial progressive dementia

An example of a non-progressive (stationary) dementia can be dementia, which was formed after the paralysis and does not change for a long time. This dementia is usually partial or partial, and it is expressed in a non-uniform or partial mental activity. Dementia is evident memory loss, violation of orientation in time while maintaining the orientation in the environment and self, reduced mental activity, combined with irritable weakness and emotional incontinence, lower criticality to itself at safety understanding of their inferiority.

When brain lesions are also observed and lighter form of weakening of mental activity does not reach the degree of dementia. Such states are called the decrease in the level of the individual. They manifest a persistent fall in mental activity, narrowing the range of interest, fatigue and irritable weakness in the preservation of memory.

Progressive total dementia

An example of progressive dementia is senile dementia and Alzheimer's disease, the symptoms of which increases with the age of the patient. Progressive dementia more often widespread or diffuse, that is, the process affects the entire brain. Dementia is expressed primarily in violation of complex forms of intellectual activity, then joins the sharp decline of criticism to itself, erasing individual personality traits, decrease emotions Emotions and culture: how to decipher the emotional code   with the prevalence of persistent increase in elevated mood (euphoria).

Progressive dementia can result in the complete disintegration of mental activity or marasmus.

Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease - a progressive dementia that affects not yet old people. It usually begins after age 60 (but may be much earlier), and with the increasing age of the danger of this disease increases dramatically. Similarly, the causes of Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease - can be slowed down, it can not be cured   It is not known, but they believe that to blame heredity, resulting in a change in the structure of one of the types of protein, which starts to accumulate in the nerve cells, disrupting their activities.

Treatment depends on the cause of dementia caused him, at present there are drugs that can slow down the progression of dementia, so the assistance necessary to address as soon as possible.

  Galina Romanenko

Hypnotics are always in high demand. Today, when the stress and long-term neuro-psychological stress have become constant companions of mankind, the number of people suffering from insomnia, increased significantly. This makes the drug manufacturers to develop new means for the treatment of insomnia.

The mechanism of action imovan

Imovan (INN - zopiclone) - This hypnotic, also has a soothing, relaxing muscles, and anticonvulsant effect.

These effects are due to its effect on the receptors sensitive to gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) - neurotransmitter (substance by nerve impulses which are transmitted) involved in the inhibition in the central nervous system. Imovan reduces sleep time, reduces the frequency of nighttime awakenings, increases the duration of sleep Dreams: how to understand our dreams It improves the quality of sleep and awakening (morning after his admission on the eve of no drowsiness and weakness).

Getting used to imovanu develops gradually, is considered to be a safe treatment for a month, but manufacturers say the lack of dependence, even when taking the drug for 17 weeks.

If ingestion imovan rapidly absorbed, reaching maximum concentration in blood after 1, 5-2 hours. Drug absorption is independent of food intake. In the liver, the drug is decomposed and decomposition products are excreted in urine and feces. Repeated dose accumulation of the drug or its breakdown products in the body does not occur.

Indications and contraindications for use

Imovan prescribed for the treatment of various types of insomnia in adults. Also included difficulty falling asleep, frequent nocturnal awakenings, early awakenings. At the time insomnia is recommended course of treatment no more than five days, with heavy stress - two to three weeks. Chronic insomnia should be treated under medical supervision. The drug is taken just before bedtime, while the duration of sleep should be at least six hours, otherwise the possible emergence of anterograde amnesia (forgetting that occurs immediately after waking up).

Admission imovan contraindicated:

• if you are hypersensitive to the components of the drug;
• in severe muscle weakness (myasthenia gravis);
• in severe respiratory distress syndrome and sleep apnea (temporary cessation of breathing during sleep);
• with severe hepatic insufficiency;
• Pregnancy and breast- Breastfeeding - a personal choice   breast;
• at the age of 18 years (clinical trials on children have not been conducted);
• when prolonged depression (depressed mood).

Not recommended simultaneous imovan with alcohol and other drugs, psychotropic (affecting the central nervous system) actions, as well as with erythromycin.

Duration of the course should not exceed a month, otherwise not be excluded of habituation to the drug. The risk of addiction increases with the dose and the background of alcohol and other drugs, as well as just a joint application imovan with alcohol and other psychotropic drugs Psychotropic drugs and their effect on the brain . In the formation, depending on imovan may cause withdrawal symptoms, so it is better to cancel, gradually reducing the dose.

If the kidney function take half the recommended dose.

During the course of treatment imovanom better refrain from driving and other work requiring the coordination of movements.

Side effects and overdose

When receiving imovan may cause the following side effects:

• from the gastrointestinal tract - dry and bitter taste in the mouth, nausea, diarrhea, and sometimes - transient disturbances of liver function;
• the central nervous system - dizziness, headache, drowsiness after waking, memory impairment; rarely have side effects such as nightmares, irritability Irritability - you try to control my temper , Confusion, hallucinations, aggressiveness, confusion, depressed mood, incoordination, depression, inappropriate behavior with the possible development of memory loss;
• Allergic reaction - skin rash, itching, rarely - angioneurotic edema and anaphylactic shock;
• the appearance of withdrawal syndrome and insomnia after discontinuation of treatment.

Overdose manifests gain all the side effects of the drug. In this patient need to wash out the stomach, to give a few tablets of activated charcoal (it deposited and removed from the body all the toxins) and call an ambulance - Further assistance can be provided only in a hospital.

Galina Romanenko