What's New in Medicine:
The Latest What's New from Dr. Winner is displayed below.
Dr. Winner writes two updates each month, one on the 1st and one
on the 15th. The update on the 15th is reserved for members of
the DrWinner.org newsletter which you can sign up for free using
the newsletter sign-up to the left of this page.
June 1, 2008 - Brain Fitness,
What You Need to Know Now
There is a significant decline in our vision as we get
older. This is important because 80% of our memory is a
visual type memory and 15% of our memory relies on auditory type
memory, so it is imperative to maintain proper eyesight and
hearing for as long as we possibly can.
The loss of visual acuity in the 60s and 70s coupled with
auditory loss can increase the risk of Alzheimer's to over 100%;
some studies place it as high as 183%. Thus early memory loss is
coupled with visual loss. This can be seen when the
patient is having difficulty with navigation.
Life expectancies have increased dramatically. In the Roman and
Greek times people would live on average about 28 years: in
medieval times about 33 years. In the United States, life
expectancy in the 1800s was about 37 years, in the 1900s about
47.3 years, and in 2006 the average life expectancy is 77.8
years.
By the year 2010 our population between the ages of 65 and 85
will grow by over 80%. Those over 85 will grow by 48%. The
prevention of dementia and cognitive decline is critical because
if things remain as they are there will be a doubling of
dementia patients and a concurrent need for care and management
of this disease.
The leading causes of death in 2004 were heart disease, stroke,
and cancer. Risk factors for these diseases are clear, and
include smoking and obesity. Both of these risk factors result
in decreased blood flow to the brain and can increase vascular
dementia. Multiple TIAs also put a person at risk of
Alzheimer's by over 600%, so it is imperative for anyone who has
a neurovascular problem to get appropriate medical evaluation
and treatment.
In Alzheimer's we see atrophy of the brain. There is
decreased memory and language ability. There are focal
losses. An MRI can show a decrease in white matter
concurrent with memory problems. We see decreased gray
matter, especially in the temporal lobes, which is attributable
to a decrease in language function. We see both neuronal
and glial cell loss. Note it has been reported that we
lose about 100,000 brain cells a day over the age of 30, but
this may proved to be abnormal aging.
Consider the use of a PET scan to evaluate anyone who has
questionable cognitive decline. If there is a concern about
making a final diagnosis of Alzheimer's this may be quite
helpful.
In Alzheimer's actual memory is replaced by abstract reasoning.
That is very important to understand when you are speaking to
patients and are trying to get a direct answer. This is why
appropriate neurocognitive testing is so important. Such testing
can help pinpoint the areas of the brain that are most affected.
If you or someone you know is having a problem with memory,
please have them properly evaluated as soon as possible. Early
diagnosis is key to improved quality of life for any progress
neurological disorder where available treatments exist. Better
yet prevention is even more important. More on the prevention of
Memory decline in the future.
Previous What's New by Dr. Winner:
May 1, 2008 - Traumatic Brain Injury
Important Information
April 1, 2008 - The
10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer's Disease
March 1, 2008 - Medications
for Migraine Prevention.
February 1, 2008 - Treating Chronic
Daily Headache.
January 1, 2008 - Breaking News about the use of antihypertensive drugs to reduce amyloid Beta in Alzheimer's disease.
December 1, 2007 -
New Skin Patch Delivery System for the Treatment of Alzheimer's
Patients
November 1, 2007
- Eggs are Good for You, Yes... Eggs are Bad for You, Yes
October 1, 2007 - The American
Migraine Prevalence and Prevention Study - New Information
September 1, 2007 - Obesity,
Migraine and Chronic Migraine. Is there a relationship?
August 1, 2007 - Interesting
Differences in MRI Results between Migraine and Non-Migraine
Patients
|
