Table of contents:
- Definition
- What is Pick's disease?
- How common is Pick's disease?
- Cause
- What are the symptoms of Pick's disease?
- Cause
- What causes Pick's disease?
- Diagnosis
- How do doctors diagnose Pick's disease?
- Treatment
- How do I treat Pick's disease?
Definition
What is Pick's disease?
Pick's disease is a type of dementia that is similar to Alzheimer's disease, but is less common. This disease affects the part of the brain that controls emotions, behavior, personality and language. Pick's disease is also known as frontotemporal dementia (FTD) or frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD).
Our brain uses a transport system to distribute the nutrients it needs. This transport system is made of proteins that direct nutrients to specific locations. The protein that maintains this pathway is called tau protein.
If you have Pick's disease, the performance of the tau protein will suffer. You may also have more tau protein in your brain than other people. These clumps of tau protein are called Pick bodies and it destroys the pathways of the transport system in your brain, so the nutrients in the brain don't get to where they need to be. This can cause irreparable brain damage.
How common is Pick's disease?
Pick's disease is a rare condition, usually diagnosed between the ages of 40 and 75, but it can also occur in people in their 20s. This disease is more common in men than women. People of Scandinavian descent are slightly more at risk of developing this disease than other races. Consult your doctor for more information.
Cause
What are the symptoms of Pick's disease?
The characteristics and symptoms of Pick's disease include:
- Suddenly aggressive and fierce
- Not interested in daily activities
- Easy to get angry
- Change mood which changes rapidly and drastically
- It's hard to feel sympathy
- Don't care about other people
- It's hard to do things that weren't planned in advance
- Make decisions without thinking
- Repeating an activity
- Doing or saying things that are inappropriate
Some Pick sufferers will feel hungry all the time, and some of them have sweet cravings so they will consume excess sugar and sugary foods.
At the onset of the disease, language disorders usually appear. Appearance Pick bodies in the parts of the brain that regulate speech can cause problems such as:
- Trouble remembering the names of common objects
- Difficulty drawing by tracing shapes
- Difficulty understanding written words
- Difficulty speaking
Sometimes, people with Pick's disease also develop the following symptoms:
- Lost memory
- Difficulty moving
- Muscle weakness or stiffness
- Difficulty urinating
- Movement coordination is impaired
There may be symptoms not listed above. Consult your doctor for information about other symptoms.
Cause
What causes Pick's disease?
Pick's disease and its types frontotemporal dementia others are caused by abnormal tau protein, or excessive amounts of tau protein. This protein is present in all human nerve cells. If there are clumps of tau protein in the forebrain and temporal nerve cells, these cells can die, making brain tissue shrink and eventually you develop dementia.
Experts do not yet know what causes this abnormal protein to form. However, there have been found abnormal genes associated with Pick's disease and frontotemporal dementia other. Usually this disease also occurs in people who have family members with the disease.
Diagnosis
How do doctors diagnose Pick's disease?
To find out if you have Pick or not, your doctor will take your medical history and perform several tests to check your memory, behavior, language skills and other mental functions. Usually this test is done with paper and pencil, where you will be asked to answer questions by writing or drawing them.
Your doctor may also do a blood test to check your DNA and see if you have the gene that causes Pick's disease.
To see what's going on in your brain, your doctor may also do some imaging tests, such as:
- MRI: Uses magnetic and radio waves to create images of the brain
- SPECT or PET scan: Radioactive substance and a special camera that produces 3D images to show which parts of your brain are active
- You may also have to go through with it lumbar puncture, where the doctor uses a long needle to draw fluid from your spine for examination. In rare cases, your doctor may remove a small piece of brain tissue for testing. This is called a biopsy.
Treatment
The information below cannot be used as a substitute for a medical consultation. ALWAYS consult your doctor for information about medications.
How do I treat Pick's disease?
Pick's disease cannot be cured, and there are no medicines that can slow the process down. This disease will get worse over time, but it can happen slowly, and it can also be fast.
The doctor may suggest medication and therapy but only to treat and relieve the symptoms that are bothering you, not to treat the disease. Behavioral therapy can help overcome behavioral disorders and prevent dangerous behavior, while antidepressant drugs can reduce aggression and feelings of anger.
Hello Health Group does not provide medical consultation, diagnosis or treatment.
