Mobile phones can cause tumors and dementia in children

Dementia in children and adolescents is a deep irreversible mental disorder associated with the decay of intelligence, impaired cognitive processes and impoverishment of the emotional sphere as a whole.

To identify mental retardation, psychological testing, laboratory and instrumental studies are used.

This condition cannot be treated, so symptomatic treatment is used for children suffering from decreased intelligence.

Prevalence of the disease and its causes

Dementia occurs not only in older people, but also in children. According to medical statistics, the level of childhood dementia in Russia is 1.64% .

For comparison: in Canada this figure is 1.12%, in Finland 1.19%, in the USA 1.2%, in Australia 1.43%, in China 1.71%.

Childhood dementia can be congenital or acquired. Its main reasons are:

• infectious diseases suffered by a woman during pregnancy;
• premature birth;
• asphyxia and injuries received during childbirth;
• social and pedagogical neglect at an early age;
• genetic diseases;
• traumatic brain injuries, bruises and concussions;
• encephalitis, meningitis, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV);
• disturbance of vascular blood flow and insufficient nutrition of brain tissue.

It is not always possible to establish the root cause of dementia in children and adolescents.
Solving this complex problem requires the help of qualified specialists and comprehensive diagnostics of the whole organism.

Dementia or Dementia

What does the word dementia mean?

Today, instead of the word “dementia,” the term “dementia” is used, usually referring to a mental disorder that occurs in old age. Indeed, dementia is most often observed in old age; people in this case speak of senile insanity. In fact, dementia can occur at an earlier age, for example, after alcoholic psychosis or during severe depression, although in the latter case it is reversible.

Dementia is understood not as a disease, but as a syndrome (a combination of several symptoms), which is characterized by a progressive impairment in two or more areas of the cognitive sphere (thinking, memory and attention, speech, personality, etc.), manifested by insufficient understanding of work and relationships with other people . If at the age of 60 years dementia is registered in 1% of the general population, then after 85 years - in 40%; a high level of education and constant work on oneself prevents the development of dementia.

What can dementia be confused with?

How to distinguish mental retardation from dementia? Unlike mental retardation, which was previously called oligophrenia, which is an underdevelopment of the mental sphere, dementia is the breakdown of mental functions as a result of a disease that causes organic damage to the brain. Or, as the old psychiatrists said, a weak-minded person is a rich man who has lost everything, and a person with mental retardation is “a person who has never been rich.” It is also necessary to differentiate between dementia and severe depression.

How many dementias?

There are a lot of causes of dementia, as well as its varieties, and in general we need to try to understand why dementia develops, what is the prognosis for its course and how best to treat it. For example, there are more than about 10 different variants of vascular dementia (vascular dementia with an acute onset, multi-infarction dementia; dementia with single infarctions in strategically significant areas of the brain; dementia caused by damage to small-diameter arteries in the subcortical structures of the brain; cortical dementia, dementia with insufficient blood supply to the brain; posthemorrhagic dementia; mixed vascular-atrophic dementia and cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarctions and leukoencephalopathy, etc.). After a stroke, multi-infarct dementia develops in almost 30% of cases; with single infarcts from significant areas of the brain, it is 5-10%, mixed dementia - 20%. In general, without a specialist, you won’t understand either the diagnosis or the treatment.

Most often, vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease develop in old age, but dementia can also occur in Parkinson's disease and affect mainly the frontotemporal region or be accompanied by the deposition of special proteins - Lewy bodies - in some brain tissues. As I noted earlier, this is not a complete list of dementia options.

Symptoms of frontotemporal dementia include behavioral changes and intellectual impairment. It is caused by damage and degeneration of cells in the temporal and frontal lobes of the brain. Very often, this disease is not differentiated by neurologists and psychiatrists, and frontotemporal dementia is classified as Alzheimer's disease. Frontotemporal dementia occurs between 45 and 55 years of age. In addition, its clinical picture can easily be confused with Pick's disease, which is also accompanied by dementia. However, behavioral disturbances in patients with frontotemporal dementia are characterized by impaired motivation, a tendency toward childish behavior, impulsivity, increased appetite, stereotypies, and flat humor. Such “false psychopathy” can manifest itself in the patient’s antisocial behavior when visiting stores.

Causes of dementia

From the point of view of the cause of dementia, in people over 65 years of age: Alzheimer's disease accounts for 50% of patients with dementia syndrome, dementia caused by Lewy bodies - 20%, frontotemporal dementia - 10%, vascular dementia - 15%. For people under 65 years of age, the causes of dementia are as follows: Alzheimer's disease - 34%, vascular dementia - 18%, frontotemporal dementia - 12%, alcoholic dementia - 10%, dementia with Lewy bodies - 7% and other dementias - 20 %. Rare causes of dementia include Kretzfeild-Jakob disease, corticobasal degeneration, and cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarction and leukoencephalopathy. Such complex reasons and such complex names! When collecting anamnesis, you should always pay attention to alcohol abuse, cases of “familial dementia” and try to find the main cause of dementia.

Correct diagnosis

Before prescribing drugs, it is necessary to obtain the results of magnetic resonance imaging, do electroencephalography and look at the condition of the brain vessels.

Ideally, before prescribing drugs, it is necessary to conduct a pharmacological genetic study, do a neural test, and during treatment, regularly monitor the concentration of drugs in the blood, periodically do an electrocardiogram, take blood for a biochemical analysis. Almost all types of dementia are accompanied by anemia, a reduced amount of hemoglobin and red blood cells, which must be treated without fail and better with modern iron supplements that are administered intravenously.

Simple and cheap

Unfortunately, in our country they usually spend money on children and wives and much less often on elderly parents, so the first question that the administrator of the medical center hears is: how much does it cost to see a neurologist or psychiatrist (it seems that the doctor’s qualifications are not particularly significant here). In connection with the above, if there is no money, it is necessary to start with simple tests, since they also have great benefits.

Even a simple general blood test, by the way, will tell an experienced doctor, of course, approximately which variant of dementia is in front of him and which class of drugs is best to treat the patient. Let's say, with Alzheimer's disease, the patient has a decrease in the number of red blood cells, hemoglobin, neutrophils and basophils, but an increase in the number of lymphocytes and monocytes, platelets, as well as the so-called “inflammatory index” (neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio or NLR), a high value often tells the doctor that it is necessary not only to look for a source of inflammation in the patient, for example, kidney or joint disease, but also to prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs to such a patient, since inflammation, like depression, always contributes to the progression of dementia. It is worth noting that NLR is typically elevated in many other forms of dementia, such as those associated with Parkinson's disease. The platelet count usually decreases (unlike Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease) in the setting of vascular dementia, in particular after several cerebral microinfarctions.

A blood indicator such as RDW (erythrocyte distribution width) behaves peculiarly in any dementia; at the beginning of dementia and in its initial form it increases, but decreases in its middle phase.

A relatively cheap and biochemical analysis, which is important for us to assess the severity of atherosclerosis, detect diabetes mellitus, signs of liver inflammation and functional activity of the kidneys.

Who treats dementia and how?

In the practice of a local general practitioner, patients with dementia are encountered in approximately 25% of cases.

Neurologists usually analyze the neurological status in detail, paying attention to extrapyramidal symptoms (parkinsonism) and symptoms of local brain damage. Usually, the first contact of the relatives of a patient with dementia is to a neurologist, if symptoms of psychosis, hallucinations, often visual or delusions, more often damage, appear, then they call a psychiatrist for help, that is, dementia is a kind of border territory, which is dealt with by different specialists. Neurologists usually prescribe drugs that affect acetylcholine or block it for dementia. NMDA receptors (the main mediator of excitation), drugs that regulate cerebral circulation, psychiatrists - for short periods of time, small doses of modern antipsychotics, as well as antidepressants. However, treating dementia is actually very difficult; I note that gerontological psychiatry (mental disorders of the elderly and senile) has always been considered the most difficult branch of psychiatry. Judge for yourself, an elderly person already takes many different medications, so drug interactions must be taken very seriously, since the patient easily experiences various side effects and often life-threatening side effects, both from the nervous and cardiovascular systems of the body, as well as hematological and gastric and intestinal disorders.

In order to effectively treat dementia, you need to have a good knowledge of neurology, psychiatry, and cardiology. Since there are not many such specialists, by and large, we cannot effectively treat dementia of old age, at best only by somehow inhibiting the progression of the disease

Where to treat?

In the outpatient center of our clinic (LLC "Mental Health"), dementia occurs more often, and in the hospital - less often. Typically, patients with dementia are brought to the outpatient center by their children on weekends. We are reluctant to admit patients with dementia to the hospital for many reasons, including: • somatic (coronary heart disease); • neurological (consequences of cerebrovascular accidents) disorders, often requiring an intensive care unit in the hospital; • old age, requiring an additional nurse post and care; • the need to attract a large number of doctors from other specialties; • negative consequences of changing the place of stay of a patient who is accustomed to a certain way of life; • ease of complications from therapy with a large number of different drugs; • the need for a relatively long hospital stay, with the population’s poor ability to pay, etc.

Patients with dementia are usually admitted to an inpatient psychiatric clinic either after a sharp deterioration in their somatic or neurological status, or after an acute infectious disease, delirium or depression.

Treatment of dementia is troublesome, if only because it requires the collegial participation of different doctors: psychiatrists, neurologists, cardiologists, endocrinologists, first of all. The patient's relatives should be informed of the diagnosis of the disease, the prognosis of its course and outcome, and trained in the skills of proper patient care (psychosocial care). Psychological treatment methods include cognitive remediation, stimulation therapy (changing the patient’s environment), cognitive stimulation using special computer programs, and supportive therapy. In the case of severe behavioral disturbances, the patient’s aggression, the presence of symptoms of delirium, psychosis, and severe affective disorders, unfortunately, the patient must be admitted to a specialized psychiatric hospital for a short time.

The patient should not be placed in a regular psychiatric hospital.

A patient with dementia should not be moved in space; changing the place of stay, as a rule, leads to a sharp progression of dementia, so it is better to treat the patient at home, assigning him an experienced nurse, who is actually not so easy to find. Monitoring a patient with dementia requires several visits to the doctor, usually 3-4, in order to correctly select effective and safe treatment; it is better if these are home visits to the patient. The first time, even if the patient is well examined, which is actually quite rare, the first time, as a rule, even an experienced psychiatrist cannot select the right drug (knowledge of one specialty is not enough).

I also do not advise placing a patient with dementia, even with psychosis, in a psychiatric hospital or some kind of boarding house; in most cases, such patients quickly die, since a mental disorder usually occurs at the final stage of neurological, vascular and other diseases. If you are going to treat a patient in a hospital, it is important that there are intensive care units, since the patient’s condition can “flicker” and rapidly deteriorate, for example, after another stroke or heart failure.

Why do you need a psychologist?

If you want to slow down the progression of dementia, then you cannot do without frequent interaction with a clinical psychologist, or better yet, with him visiting your home after a neuropsychological consultation, which allows you not only to assess in detail the impairment of memory, attention and thinking, to identify foci of brain damage and to develop (like a “key to a lock”) individual, differentiated and staged trainings, which are best conducted as often as possible, at least 2 times a week.

Types and forms

ICD-10 identifies four degrees of mental retardation in children and adolescents: mild, moderate, severe and profound.

In accordance with this classification, classical psychiatry distinguishes four degrees of dementia : debility, mild imbecility, severe imbecility and idiocy.

Types of dementia in children and adolescents:

IQ level	Degree of mental retardation according to ICD-10	Classification in classical psychiatry	Mental age, years
50-69	Lightweight	Moronism	9-12
35-49	Moderate	Imbecility is not pronounced	6-9
20-34	Heavy	Severe imbecility	3-6
Up to 20	Deep	Idiocy	Until 3

1. Morons . Able to carry out simple buildings with guidance. Their speech and motor functions are slightly impaired, so they experience difficulties when communicating with peers.
2. Imbeciles . They are not adapted to independent life. They are trained in defectological institutions. Over time, they learn to perform simple tasks.
3. Idiots . Not trainable. Sometimes they have the rudiments of speech. Eating, dressing, and performing hygiene procedures can only be done with the help and under the supervision of outsiders.

Dementia in children and adolescents can be residual organic or progressive:

1. The residual organic form is caused by residual brain damage as a result of traumatic brain injury, meningitis, and drug poisoning of the nervous system. This form of dementia does not progress and is stable, without further worsening of symptoms.
2. Progressive dementia develops due to vascular lesions of the brain, genetic diseases and diseases of the spinal cord. This form is characterized by a gradual increase in symptoms of dementia.

General

Dementia is an acquired dementia. It occurs not only in adults, but also in children. To correctly understand the terminology, it is necessary to distinguish between some concepts:

1. Children under three years of age are not diagnosed with childhood dementia. In this case, “mental retardation” or “oligophrenia” is indicated.
2. After three years, “childhood dementia” is also not diagnosed. In this case, the correct terminology is organic lesion in children.

The clinical picture of organic damage itself is similar to the symptoms of organic dementia. At what age does dementia begin - from the moment the pathological factor affects the brain.

Causes

Dementia at an early age occurs due to the following reasons:

• Neuroinfections affecting brain tissue: encephalitis, meningitis, meningoencephalitis, arachnoiditis.
• Traumatic brain injuries that damage the substance of the brain.
• Chronic intoxication, such as drug intoxication or frequent administration of anesthesia. In adolescent children, intoxication may occur due to the use of alcohol or drugs.

All of these causes develop degenerative changes in the cortex and subcortical structures of the brain. Due to neurodegeneration, the child’s cognitive properties are weakened.

Often childhood dementia acts as a residual organic dementia. The term "residual" means "residual." This means that the lack of intelligence occurs as a result of past pathological conditions.

Acquired dementia in children is classified by cause. For example, a child has an accident. As a result of the blow, the left hemisphere was damaged, causing an intellectual defect. In this case, a diagnosis of “traumatic organic brain damage in a child” is made. If it is a neuroinfection – “infectious organic lesion”.

Symptoms of childhood dementia

Symptoms and signs of dementia in children and adolescents vary depending on the underlying cause of the disease and the severity of its progression.

The most common signs of childhood dementia are impaired attention, memory, speech, deviant behavior and fatigue.

Preschoolers (up to 7 years old)

The first sign of dementia in young children and preschoolers is the persistent loss of skills that were previously learned and easily practiced.

We can talk about mental retardation if the child:

• later peers begin to walk and talk;
• forgets words, constructs sentences incorrectly;
• looks unkempt, does not care about his appearance;
• feels indifference to the outside world;
• loses affection for loved ones.

The baby's movements become disinhibited, and high spirits prevail. With further development of the disease, the child’s movements become less differentiated and more uniform.

Junior schoolchildren (7-11 years old)

If in preschool age it is quite difficult to recognize mild dementia, then during school years the disease manifests itself more confidently:

• the student has difficulty learning new material;
• writes and reads slowly, cannot solve logic problems;
• does not understand the meaning of proverbs and sayings;
• cannot reproduce the content of the text just read;
• forgets words, has difficulty constructing sentences;
• reacts inappropriately to the words and actions of others;
• gets tired quickly, often feels apathy and lethargy.

Previously acquired skills and speech are retained for a long time, but memory works selectively . For example, a preschooler can name the days of the week and the sequence of seasons in order, but confuse the colors.

Boys and girls (11-18 years old)

What are the symptoms of dementia at 15? At this age, dementia can be recognized by the following signs:

• the child does not assimilate social and legal norms;
• does not take care of himself, looks untidy;
• loses interest in hobbies and previously favorite activities;
• begins to obsessively collect unnecessary things;
• all his games become monotonous, with constantly repeating actions;
• does not remember information well, thinks superficially, and has problems doing homework.

Symptoms of dementia indirectly depend on the child’s temperament, his state of health, the presence of concomitant diseases, the social and everyday aspects of his life and some other factors.
About the symptoms of mental retardation in this video:

Symptoms of dementia in young adulthood (15 years old)

Oligophrenia is manifested by underdeveloped intellect and psyche as a whole, and determines dementia in children.

Dementia in childhood, which can be called oligophrenia, has 3 degrees: debility, imbecility, idiocy.

Morons study in specialized schools, successfully graduate at the age of 15, acquire professional skills, and live independently. Delayed mental development is accompanied by the appearance of bad character traits:

• stubbornness;
• rancor;
• malice;
• vindictiveness.

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At the same time, they have excellent memory, partial talent, and the ability to solve difficult mathematical problems.

Imbecility – moderate severity of oligophrenia, primitively developed psyche and thinking. Imbeciles are attached to relatives and understand praise and blame. They can speak simple sentences, understand speech, are able to use self-service skills, but are uninitiative and lose orientation in a new environment. At 15, they need constant inspection and care.

Idiocy is a severe stage of mental retardation. Dementia can manifest as a complete lack of speech and thinking. Emotional activity is characterized only by feelings of pleasure and displeasure. Some patients are lethargic and apathetic, others are angry and aggressive. All patients require complete care. They cannot eat or chew themselves, do not distinguish family from strangers, and are indifferent to the surrounding life and environment.

Diagnostics

When the first signs of dementia appear, the child should be shown to a qualified neurologist, who will assess the neuropsychic state of the young patient and take a history of his illness.

Upon referral from a neurologist, the child will have to undergo testing in a psychologist’s office, as well as laboratory and instrumental examination.

Psychological testing

To identify mental retardation, the following types of psychological tests are used:

1. Eysenck test - shows the mental age and intelligence quotient (IQ) of the patient.
2. Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale - assesses the mental development of children aged 6 to 16 years.
3. The Wechsler test assesses the intelligence of children aged 2.5 to 7.5 years.
4. Benton's visual retention test - identifies organic brain damage and its severity.

Laboratory research

If dementia is suspected, the child is prescribed a laboratory blood test for glucose, thyroid hormones, vitamin B12, syphilis, ALT and AST.

A general blood test can detect the presence of infectious processes in the body, and a biochemical screening can be used to assess the functional state of the kidneys and the level of electrolytes in the blood.

The doctor may order genetic testing to detect Down syndrome, DiGeorge syndrome, Lejeune syndrome (cry of the cat), and fragile X chromosome.

Instrumental examination

1. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides valuable information about malformations of the central nervous system, structural changes in the brain and various organic disorders.
2. A computed tomography (CT) scan involves examining the physical structure of the brain using X-rays. Allows you to identify the presence of scars and injured areas in the brain, which may be the cause of the child’s mental disability.
3. An electroencephalogram (EEG) allows you to assess the functional state of brain structures during wakefulness, sleep, active mental or physical work.

Fluctuations in alpha, theta and delta waves indicate acquired dementia syndrome and delayed psychomotor development in a child.

Causes of mental retardation

The causes of this pathology in a child include:

• Intoxication of a woman with drugs during pregnancy.
• Transference of severe infectious diseases during a woman’s pregnancy.
• Maternal dystrophy during pregnancy.
• Various injuries to the fetus during gestation or labor. They can occur during compression of the newborn's head or during a rapid delivery involving forceps.
• Infection of the fetus with worms.
• The hereditary factor is of great importance. For example, the number of chromosomes determines Down's disease, in which their number is exceeded by one unit.
• Inflammatory diseases of the fetal brain.
• Disturbances in protein metabolism in a child's body can lead to the development of a severe form of the disease.
• Environmental pollution.
• Maternal use of alcohol and drugs during pregnancy.

All these reasons can lead to the occurrence of this pathology. A woman who is carrying a child needs to closely monitor her health to avoid retardation in her unborn child.

Treatment tactics

Symptomatic therapy can prevent further weakening of intelligence and maintain its existing level.

For the symptomatic treatment of dementia, antipsychotics, anticonvulsants, tonics, vitamins and biogenic stimulants are used.

Neuroleptics

If a small patient suffers from tension, aggression, a pronounced feeling of fear, mental disinhibition, mood swings, apathy, lethargy or poor sleep, he is prescribed antipsychotics Azaleptin, Clozapine, Nootropil, Noocetam, Olanzapine, Piracetam, Reserpine, Cerebrolysin , etc.

Anticonvulsants

For convulsions, the child is prescribed anticonvulsants, which reduce hyperkinesis, contribute to partial compensation of personality disorders and reduce emotional tension.

In parallel, children are prescribed diuretics, complexes of vitamins and microelements, as well as medications that reduce intracranial pressure.

Biogenic stimulants

The program for the treatment of dementia in children includes biogenic stimulants Actovegin, Cortexin, Mexidol, Albumin, Apilak , etc.

The listed drugs stimulate cellular metabolism due to the accumulation of oxygen and glucose in the brain tissue.

B vitamins

B vitamins stop the processes of excitation of the nervous system , help improve memory and increase concentration.

The intake of B vitamins should be supplemented with iodine-containing products, amino acids and hormonal drugs.

What else you need to know about dementia:

• symptoms and treatment in older people;
• reasons for the development of dementia at an early age;
• connections between dementia and other diseases;
• differences in manifestations between men and women;
• about how relatives should behave with a sick person and whether he needs nursing care;
• Is it possible to prevent the disease and what does it consist of?

Characteristics of a sick child

Developmental defects of a mentally retarded child affect all parameters of the individual and the person as a whole. Organic defects result in diseases such as hydrocephalus and cerebral palsy. Intellectual disabilities are associated with damage to certain cortical brain processes. Difficulties with cognitive activity take on different forms, leading to the impossibility of learning for mentally retarded children. Physiological disorders lead to decreased vision, hearing, and underdeveloped speech.

Psychology defines three criteria:

1. clinical – associated with organic brain damage;
2. psychological – expressed in disorders of cognitive activity;
3. pedagogical – indicates a low level of learning ability.

Problems of perception

The perception of the information received occurs in an incomplete volume. It is difficult for kids to analyze and describe the image they see. Having memorized one subject, they do not strive to independently learn other things; they need to be pushed to action. It is impossible to educate mentally retarded children in a regular school.

A child with such a deviation does not understand the simplest things and cannot attend a regular school.

Understanding the world should occur in stages, but in sick children this mechanism is disrupted. There is no systematic analysis of objects; the baby is hardly able to notice the connection between parts of the whole. Such absent-mindedness leads to the loss of the initial idea of ​​​​the thing he is studying. Weak mental activity prevents you from correctly assessing your actions and actions.

Delays in speech and mental functions represent serious differences between sick children and normal children. Sick children have great difficulty mastering writing and reading, they are inattentive, and cannot bring what they start to the required competent completion.

Underdevelopment, as psychology shows, is also noticeable in emotional terms. Children do not outwardly show their feelings, their volitional mechanisms do not work well, and their activity is poorly developed. They lag behind in physical development, being delayed in mastering basic skills: they begin to crawl, hold their head up, and walk poorly and late.

The games of such children, even at school age, remain very primitive

Psychological help

Psychological help is needed both for mentally retarded children and for the relatives who look after them and are constantly nearby.

Types of psychological assistance for dementia:

Help for mentally retarded children and adolescents	Help for relatives of mentally retarded children and adolescents
constant encouragement, instilling hope, praise, empathy; training, encouragement, explanation and advice; solving everyday problems	alternating nursing and rest schedules; regular change of environment; abstracting from the problems of a sick child and switching attention to positive things

It is important to treat a mentally retarded child as a person, and not as a problem , to reinforce his ability to cope with the vicissitudes of fate and everyday difficulties, to emphasize positive qualities and achievements, to maintain a sense of self-confidence, and to prevent relapse of the disease in a timely manner.

About raising children with mental retardation in this video:

Prevention of dementia in young and middle age

Prevention of dementia is to avoid the risk of onset of pathology. If there were alcoholics in the family, strong drinks should be excluded from the diet of the entire family. So that no one provokes anyone. Shared sledding, skiing, visiting the pool, and outdoor games bring the family together and improves the health of everyone, regardless of age.

When you help teach a teenager lessons, train your memory and make it easier for him to understand, analyze, compare, the child learns to make decisions and develops his brain. Working neurons establish new connections and chains. This is how the brain builds itself.

Learn poetry with your child, it will improve your memory and his. A positive attitude in life, visiting the circus together, watching comedies will improve the psychological state of each family member.

You will save your family from problems with dementia if you live an interesting, eventful life.