The Treatment and Diagnosis of Multi-Infarct Dementia

Sometimes called MID, multi-infarct dementia is a loss of brain functioning due to repeated strokes that accounts for approximately 10 to 20 percent of all cases of dementia, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Although there is no cure for multi-infarct dementia, treating the cause of multi-infarct dementia, once it is diagnosed, can slow or stop its progression.

Types of Symptoms

• The first step in the diagnosis of multi-infarct dementia is recognizing its symptoms. These include confusion at night, decreased interest in daily living activities like eating or bathing, difficulty with decision making, agitation, frustration, depression, mood swings, loss of memory, difficulty swallowing, involuntary laughing or crying, and urinary incontinence.

Diagnosis

• To diagnose multi-infarct dementia, doctors rely upon diagnostic imaging such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or computerized tomography (CT scan).

Types of Medications

• Doctors may prescribe antipsychotic medications, beta blockers, and antidepressant medications that increase levels of the brain chemical serotonin to help control aggression or depression in patients with multi-infarct dementia. Because some drugs increase dementia, such as anticholingerics, central nervous system depressants, the heartburn medication cimetitide and some pain relievers, doctors often replace these medications with other drugs in patients suffering from MID.

Underlying Conditions

• To slow the progression of multi-infarct dementia, doctors also prescribe treatments for the causes of the condition, such as medications to control cholesterol or thin the blood. Other conditions that make multi-infarct dementia worse include anemia, heart failure, low blood oxygen and thyroid disorders, explains the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Prevention

• The best way to treat multi-infarct dementia is to reduce the risk factors for the disease early in life, reports the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. A healthy diet and exercise in combination with avoiding smoking and excessive alcohol consumption all help prevent multi-infarct dementia.