Medical expert of the article
New publications
Causes of cognitive impairment
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
Causes of cognitive impairment
Dementia is a polyethological syndrome that develops in various brain diseases. There are several dozens of nosological forms within which dementia syndrome can develop. The most common of these are Alzheimer's disease, dementia with Levy bodies, cerebral vascular insufficiency, frontotemporal degeneration, diseases with predominant lesion of subcortical basal ganglia ("subcortical dementias"). These nosological forms respond not less than 80% of dementia in old age.
The main causes of dementia are as follows.
- Neurodegenerative diseases:
- Alzheimer's disease;
- Levy's body disease;
- frontotemporal degeneration;
- Parkinson's disease;
- progressive supranuclear palsy;
- Huntington's disease.
- Vascular diseases of the brain:
- consequences of a "strategic" heart attack;
- multi-infarct dementia;
- subcortical vascular dementia;
- hemorrhagic dementia;
- mixed options.
- Mixed (vascular degenerative) lesions of the brain.
- Dysmetabolic encephalopathies:
- alcoholism;
- somatogenic disorders:
- hypoxic encephalopathy;
- hepatic encephalopathy;
- renal encephalopathy;
- hypoglycemic encephalopathy;
- hypothyroidism;
- deficient conditions (deficiency of vitamins B 1, B 12, folic acid, proteins);
- intoxication with salts of metals (aluminum, zinc, copper);
- intoxication with medicinal preparations (anticholinergics, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, neuroleptics, lithium salts, etc.);
- hepatolenticular degeneration.
- Neuroinfections and demyelinating diseases:
- HIV-associated encephalopathy;
- spongiform encephalitis (Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease);
- progressive panencephalitis (measles, Van Bogart, rubella);
- the effects of acute and subacute meningoencephalitis;
- progressive paralysis;
- multiple sclerosis;
- progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy.
- Craniocerebral injury.
- A brain tumor.
- Liquorodynamic disorders:
- normotensive (arezorbtivnaya) hydrocephalus.
[