Is Dementia Systemic?

Dementia is a severe mental illness characterized by severe memory loss that most often affects the elderly. It is a systemic illness; its causes and symptoms affect the entire body.

Symptoms

• According to the DSM-IV ("Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders"), the most common symptom of dementia is severe memory loss. Symptoms of more advanced dementia include loss of the ability to recognize sounds and smells, as well as a loss of executive function.

A Systemic Disease

• According to physician/author Frances Allen and DSM-IV editor Michael B. First, the causes of dementia are usually medical. Both the causal disease or condition and the symptoms of dementia are systemic, meaning that they affect the whole body.

Systemic Causes

• Authors Allen and First state that the most common causes of dementia are Alzheimer's disease and stroke (called vascular dementia). Dementia can also be caused by diseases such as Parkinson's, Huntington's and AIDS.

Systemic Effects

• Although it may seem to affect only the brain, dementia has serious effects on a person's overall health. Persons with dementia often neglect themselves by forgetting to eat or take medication, and falls and accidents are common.

Broader Systemic Effects

• When a person who has formerly been an active member of the community becomes unable to function, the loss creates a vacuum in the community. Dementia also has lasting effects on family members, who are often called upon to help care for the patient.