What is brain atrophy and how serious is it?

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What is brain atrophy and how serious is it?

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What is brain atrophy and how serious is it?  

It was found that the brain was shrinking in the film, is it serious? Is it about to be demented? Is there any good way to effectively prevent the occurrence of this disease etc…

1. What is brain atrophy?

In fact, in life, we also often encounter some elderly people who are slow to move, and have confusion in language and intelligence.

More serious ones may be that their memory is not as good as before. Some people even experience major changes in personality.

Many people don’t quite understand why there is such a change, which is probably caused by brain atrophy. “Brain atrophy” refers to the reduction in the volume of brain tissue and the number of cells due to various reasons.

On CT or MRI, it will show “enlarged ventricles, widened sulci, and narrowed gyri”. Brain atrophy can be atrophy of the whole brain. It can also only appear in a certain part of the brain.

Its types include diffuse brain atrophy (including cortical atrophy, cerebellar atrophy and cortex, cerebellum, and brainstem atrophy) and localized brain atrophy (more common in localized brain diseases such as trauma, vascular disease, intracranial localization) Infection etc.) Two kinds.

The disease mostly occurs in men over the age of 50, and relatively few women, and it lasts from several years to several decades. It is a common imaging manifestation during CT or MRI examination.

2. Does brain atrophy mean that you are about to have dementia?

If it is a brain atrophy found in a physical examination, you may be most worried about whether it will develop into dementia.

Although dementia is often accompanied by atrophy of the whole brain or atrophy of certain specific parts, brain atrophy does not necessarily mean dementia or other symptoms.

Certain diseases may be accompanied by brain atrophy. The location and degree of brain atrophy are also related to the type of disease.

Whether the brain atrophy is severe or not depends on the cause of the brain atrophy, the degree of atrophy and whether there are corresponding clinical symptoms.

Therefore, after the physical examination finds that the brain is atrophy, don’t just ignore it, but don’t ignore it. If necessary, go to the neurology clinic.

With the help of a doctor, determine whether it is caused by age or disease. If it is related to disease, try to do it early. Diagnose and treat early to delay the development of the disease.

3. How to prevent brain atrophy?

In the face of the quietly coming brain atrophy, the medical community is currently helpless. Is there no way to shrink the brain? No! Medical scientists have found that the formation of brain atrophy is related to the following factors.

As long as we prevent these factors, we can control its occurrence and development. 48361612922515379

Age-related brain atrophy:

There are many reasons for brain atrophy. The most common is age-related atrophy.

The brain gradually increases in volume from birth and develops into a mature fruit during puberty.

After middle age, the brain gradually begins to shrink. After 60 years of age, the brain gradually increases. The volume will decrease by 0.5-1% every year.

It’s like everyone has wrinkles, brain atrophy is also a natural phenomenon that no one can avoid.

Insufficient blood supply to the brain:

The weight of the brain of a normal adult accounts for about 2% to 3% of the body weight, but the blood flowing through the brain tissue accounts for 20% of the heart pump bleeding, and the oxygen consumption of the brain tissue accounts for 20% to 30% of the body oxygen consumption.

Therefore, brain tissue is very sensitive to ischemia and hypoxic damage.

Air pollution, head covering, high blood lipids, etc., can promote cerebral arteriosclerosis and cause insufficient blood supply to the brain, leading to degeneration of nerve cells, brain atrophy, and then development of senile dementia.

Therefore, once the middle-aged and elderly people find factors that affect brain blood supply and oxygen supply, they should be actively excluded, such as lowering blood pressure, lowering blood lipids, etc.; especially those suffering from sleep apnea syndrome and sick sinus syndrome should go to the hospital in time For medical treatment, use a ventilator and install a cardiac pacemaker when necessary. Improper diet, malnutrition:

Skipping breakfast, excessive sweet food, copper deficiency, excessive drinking, etc. are all prone to brain atrophy.

• Glucose is the only energy substance that the brain can use, skipping breakfast makes the blood sugar of the brain lower than the normal supply, which is harmful to the brain for a long time;
• The survival of brain cells is inseparable from adequate protein and vitamins in food, and sweets can damage appetite, reduce appetite, reduce the intake of high protein and multiple vitamins, and cause malnutrition in the body, thereby affecting the survival of brain cells;
• In addition to copper deficiency can cause anemia, abnormal skin and hair, and osteoporosis, it can also cause brain atrophy;
• Excessive alcohol not only has direct damage to brain cells, but also affects the intake of nutrients and promotes the formation of brain atrophy.

The study found:

Eat more fish, especially sea fish, which has a brain-building effect. Copper is widely distributed in food. When copper is deficient, it can supplement copper-rich animal liver and kidney, crustacean aquatic products, hard fruits, and leafy vegetables.

Overuse of brain:

Insufficient sleep, using the brain with illness, unwilling to use the brain, etc., can easily lead to brain cell damage and even brain atrophy.

The main way for the brain to eliminate fatigue is sleep. Excessive use of the brain at night will disturb the rhythm of the human body and cause the attenuation of brain cells.

When you are unwell or suffering from a disease, reluctantly insisting on studying or working will not only be inefficient, but also easily cause brain damage. Therefore, generally do not use the brain with illness;

Thinking is the best way to exercise the brain. It helps to develop the potential of the brain and prevent brain atrophy.

Studies have shown that the brain blood vessels of people who use the brain are mostly in an expanded state, and the brain tissue has sufficient blood and nutrient supply, which provides a material basis for delaying brain aging.

Diseases cause brain atrophy:

Certain degenerative diseases of the nervous system (Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal dementia, Lewy body dementia, Huntington’s disease, cortical basal ganglia degeneration, multiple system atrophy, progressive supranuclear palsy, etc.), stroke, traumatic brain injury , Encephalitis, genetic metabolic diseases, etc.

If brain atrophy is caused by these diseases, then the patient will show the corresponding symptoms of the disease, such as dementia, speech disorder, movement disorder, limb twitching, etc.

The doctor can diagnose according to the clinical manifestations and corresponding examinations.

Sum up

Brain atrophy is a common neuroimaging manifestation in middle-aged and elderly people.

When brain atrophy is accompanied by neurological abnormalities such as epilepsy, dementia, and aphasia, we need to pay attention to it and seek medical treatment in time.

For age-related brain atrophy, there is no need to worry about it.

Proper physical exercise, supplementation of B vitamins and good living habits can prevent brain atrophy.

What is brain atrophy and how serious is it?

(source:internet, reference only)

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Important Note: The information provided is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as medical advice.