| [ Summary ] |
Prevention of dementia includes 3 steps: 1) Primary prevention involves preventing progression of normal and mild cognitive impairment to dementia. 2) Secondary prevention involves early detection and prompt treatment of dementia. 3) Tertiary prevention involves reducing the negative infl uence of the existing disease through restoration of function and preventing complications. Primary prevention of dementia had been considered impossible until recently; however, scientific evidence has shown its applicability and usefulness. Notably, 4.62 million people are affected by dementia and 4 million are diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment. These statistics demonstrate that this issue is to be viewed as an urgent problem that warrants the implementation of effective dementia prevention strategies ranging from primary to tertiary prevention. We perform dementia screening using touch panel type computers, and we recommend that individuals diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment should be encouraged to join dementia prevention classrooms. This would be useful to prevent progression of mild cognitive impairment to dementia (primary prevention). Early diagnosis and institutionalization is warranted in those diagnosed with early stages of dementia for institution of prompt specialized treatment (secondary prevention). Preventing progression of this condition through prompt and appropriate drug treatment and supportive care should form an essential component of the management of patients diagnosed with dementia (tertiary prevention). Aromatherapy has been gaining attention as a useful method to prevent dementia. The mechanism of action of aromatherapy could be through activation of olfactory nerves, which prevents dementia progression, because neurodegeneration obser ved in Alzheimer-type dementia is known to originate in the olfactory nerves. |