Post traumatic brain syndromes Health, Medicine, Nursing Essay

Post Traumatic Brain Syndromes
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Post Traumatic Brain Syndromes
Post-traumatic brain syndromes are conditions that patients develop after experiencing psychological injuries (Kaplan et al., 2018). Traumatic brain injuries vary depending on the exposure of the tissues. For instance, injuries that affect the brain’s central nervous system can either be primary or secondary. Primary injuries manifest in impairments, which are a result of the impact. However, secondary brain injuries result from psychological injuries from prior accidents, which involve inadequate blood flow to the brain tissues, inflammation, or ischemia. In other cases, treatment approaches and surgical conditions may result in the occurrence of secondary brain syndromes. According to Dunbar et al. (2019), the manifestation of symptoms in post-traumatic brain injury syndromes may vary from months to years. The signs may either be cognitive, behavioral, or physical, which affect the overall functionality of an individual.
Alzheimer’s disease
Traumatic brain injury is the most common risk factor for early or late onset of Alzheimer’s disease in most patients (Griesbach et al., 2018). In most cases, patients who experience head injuries, which mostly result in loss of consciousness, have a 50% chance of increased dementia chances. Traumatic brain injuries result in neurodegeneration and continuous brain atrophy, which continues after injury (Ramos-Cejudo et al., 2018). Major brain injuries are responsible for early dementia in many patients. However, a series of minor traumatic brain injuries result in late-onset dementia. For instance, most professional boxers after retirement develop symptoms such as mental retardment and memory loss, which indicate the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. Besides, having secondary injuries at the age of around 55 years increases the chances of dementia.
The Latency Period For The Appearance Of Symptoms
The latency period for the appearance of symptoms in patients with Alzheimer’s disease occurs in five stages (Griesbach et al., 2018). The first stage is the preclinical Alzheimer’s disease in which the patient does not present any clinical symptoms and is detectable through imaging technology and biological biomarkers. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) occurs right before severe dementia. According to Griesbach et al. (2018), in the MCI stage, patients experience changes in memory and thinking capacity coupled with anxiety, depression, and irritability. The third stage is mild dementia, which is easily diagnosable in hospitals. At this stage, the challenges with memory and thinking become noticeable to family members and affect their daily lives. The fourth stage involves moderate dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease, in which the patients present with confusion and memory loss. The last stage is severe dementia, in which the patients present with a severe reduction in mental functioning, which affects their physical movement and physical abilities.
Management guidelines for Alzheimer’s disease
The control of Alzheimer’s disease in a patient involves assessing the daily functionality of the individual (Dunbar et al....