Uncle Li is 75 years old this year, and in the past two years, he has often lost everything, and at first he often forgot to carry his keys and was locked out. At first, he attributed the memory decline to age and poor sleep quality, and didn't pay much attention to it.
However, one day, he forgot his movements while cooking, and couldn't even recall his actions after leaving the kitchen, so he went straight back to the bedroom to rest. Fortunately, the neighbor noticed the smoke in Uncle Li's kitchen and knocked on the door in time to wake him up, avoiding a potential danger.
Uncle Li's son noticed that his father's condition was unusual and decided to take him to the hospital for a check-up. Through a CT examination of the brain, the doctor found that Uncle Li had obvious brain atrophy, and it was this that caused his forgetfulness.
Cerebral atrophy is an organic lesion of brain tissue caused by a variety of factors, and its pathological manifestations include shrinking the volume of brain tissue, decreasing the number of cells, and enlargement of the ventricles. Depending on the location and extent of brain atrophy, it can be divided into two types: focal and diffuse. Especially in middle-aged and elderly people, cerebral atrophy not only makes patients lose their normal ability to live and work, but also may eventually evolve into bedridden, posing a threat to life safety.
Individuals with cerebral atrophy often present with personality changes, irritability and suspicion, short-term memory loss, dizziness, headache, dreaminess and insomnia, and the later stage of the disease may develop to the point where they cannot take care of themselves, which is similar to Alzheimer's disease.
However, brain atrophy on CT does not mean that dementia will occur in the future. As we age, various tissues and organs, including the brain, experience varying degrees of atrophy. At the age of 70, the brain volume has shrunk by an average of 30%.
Physiological atrophy is part of normal aging, and once it reaches a certain level, it stops developing, and the atrophy is not limited to a certain area. In contrast, atrophy due to dementia is a pathological consequence that will continue to develop.
Most people feel terrified when they hear the word "brain atrophy".So, what exactly is the cause of brain atrophy?
1. Age
Normal physiological aging causes the brain to become smaller with age. Normally, the brain takes 1 every 10 years9% shrinks at a rate, and after the age of 60, brain volume is even more at 05~0.1% rate reduction.
2. Smoking and drinking
According to a study in Nature Communications, there was a study on 3A survey of more than 60,000 middle-aged and elderly people found a direct relationship between alcohol consumption and brain atrophy. The greater the amount of alcohol consumed, the more pronounced the brain atrophy becomes, and even small amounts of alcohol can lead to a decrease in brain volume. In addition, a study from the University of Washington School of Medicine in the United States found that daily smokers had an average reduction in brain volume by 7 compared to non-smokers1 cubic centimeter, and the decrease in brain volume is more significant with the increase of smoking age and the amount of cigarettes smoked.
3. Traumatic brain injury
Trauma to the brain can lead to damage to local blood vessels, causing necrosis of brain tissue and cells in the corresponding area, and eventually inducing brain atrophy.
4. Disease
When there is a lesion in the cerebral blood vessels and circulatory disorders, it may lead to ischemia, hypoxia, atrophy, and even necrosis of the brain tissue, and eventually induce cerebral atrophy. It is more common in patients with encephalitis and meningitis. In addition, endocrine diseases such as diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and thyroid dysfunction may also induce cerebral atrophy if not actively**.
5. Unwilling to use your brain
There is a principle of "use in and waste out" in the brain, and brain functions that have been inactive for a long time will age and shrink faster. People who don't use their brains for a long time are more likely to develop brain atrophy than other people who think positively.
Brain atrophy is an irreversible process caused by aging, but there are ways we can help slow the rate at which it happens.
1. Drugs**
Drugs for brain atrophy** mainly include three main classes of drugs:
Drugs to improve cerebral circulation:Such as flunarizine, nicergoline, etc., these drugs help to improve blood spasm in the brain and promote blood circulation in the brain.
Nourishing Drugs:Such as oxiracetam, piracetam, etc., such drugs can nourish brain cells and improve the cellular metabolic function of brain tissue.
Drugs to help repair brain cells:Such as vitamin B9, B12, etc., these drugs can promote the growth and synthesis of cells, accelerate the regeneration of brain cells, and improve brain blood circulation.
2. Actively prevent and treat vascular diseases
Vascular diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and arteriosclerosis are closely related to cerebral atrophy. It is important to actively intervene in the affected population to prevent the disease from progressing.
3. Do brain training frequently
Through daily activities such as reading, reading newspapers, puzzles, counting, reciting poems, etc., you can exercise your brain, activate your brain cells, and talk to people more to enhance your language expression ability and make your brain more flexible.
4. Healthy lifestyle
Maintaining a regular routine, a good attitude, quitting smoking and limiting alcohol, eating a healthy diet, and exercising properly can help prevent not only many diseases, but also brain atrophy. The key is to stick to these healthy lifestyles over the long term.