senile dementia

"Senile dementia" is a term now often avoided because it implies dementia is a normal part of aging, which is inaccurate. Dementia is a general term for conditions involving a progressive decline in intellectual capacity due to the loss of nerve cells and brain tissue. This leads to impairments in memory, learning, attention, language, and social cognition.12

While common in the elderly, dementia can affect people of any age and is not an inevitable part of aging. The most frequent irreversible cause is Alzheimer disease, which begins with forgetfulness and progresses to severe memory loss and cognitive decline. Other causes include cerebral arteriosclerosis, Pick disease, Huntington disease, and head injuries. Treatment focuses on managing symptoms and addressing underlying causes when possible.234