Memory Loss
Memories of persons vary depending on the individual's state of mind and the content of the information. Short term memory is synonymous with working memory. This is a specialized term referring to information about the current task. Commonly also referred to as amnesia, memory loss can be described as a degree of forgetfulness or failure to recall past events which is above the normal level. At times, memory loss is limited to an inability to recall events that are recent, but sometimes it could also be for events from the past or both.
Types of memory loss
Depending upon its cause, memory loss could be sudden or gradual, and permanent or temporary. A transient global amnesia is rare and is a complete but temporary memory loss. In anterograde amnesia on the other hand, the individual cannot recall recent events occurring after a trauma but can recall events of distant past. Retrograde amnesia is when the individual cannot recollect events preceding or leading up to the trauma. But he/she can recall all subsequent events.
Causes for short term memory loss
Short term memory loss is a symptom of many possible causes including disease, dyslexia, depression, injury or chronic drug and alcohol abuse. Other possible causes for amnesia can be Alzheimer's disease, tumor in the brain, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, meningitis, Parkinson's disease, Pick disease, epilepsy, stroke and West Nile virus.
Andropause
Andropause in men is similar to the menopause in women. Andropause is also referred to as male menopause. It is characterized by reduced production of testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone. Symptoms experienced by middle-aged men during andropause are - fatigue, memory loss, erectile dysfunction, prostate problems, osteoporosis, weight around the belly and lowered sex drive.
The decreased concentration of the testosterone levels does not follow a gradual time span and hence there is no affirmative evidence of the abrupt drop in the testosterone levels. Some studies describe the drop in testosterone levels by symptoms such as decreased sexual activity, increase in body fat, decrease in the muscularity and also cognitive impairment. However the decrease in testosterone levels may also result in lesser bone mass, lack of energy, lethargy, mood swings and irritability. The decreased bone mass due to the andropause may also result in hip fractures in older men.
Symptoms of Andropause
Decreased libido
Prolonged refractory period
Feeble erections
Lethargy
Irritability
Hot flashes
Lack of enthusiasm
Decrease in muscle strength, mass and endurance
Hair loss
Decreased bone mass
The physiological factors that lead to andropause are poor hypothalamic activity, hormonal deficiencies, hypertension and obesity.
Testosterone levels vary from person to person. An average value of serum testosterone levels are taken to facilitate the treatment. The average value of testosterone is greater than 200ng/dl. Any value less than the average are considered as low serum testosterone level. Analog free testosterone method is used for the diagnosis. In order to obtain accurate values of serum testosterone levels, the diagnostic blood tests should be done before 10 am in the morning.
Testosterone replacement therapy
It is employed for andropause which is proven to be the most effective treatment. The objective of this treatment methodology is to improve the libido, erectile function, muscle and bone mass restoration and also improving mental health of the individual. The apparent methods include oral sustained release medications, injections and also through transdermal patches. The advantages of testosterone replacement therapy is that it is gradual, effective and also increases the testosterone levels in a significant manner such high during the morning and gradual decrease during the course of the day.
Disadvantages of testosterone replacement therapy include conditions such as hypertension, pedal edema, liver toxicity, sleep apnea, breast enlargement in older men etc. In addition to these negative effects, inducing testosterone in to the body from external source may hinder the natural spermatogenesis process of the testes.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy seeks to use drugs to treat cancer. It destroys any cancer cells that may spread. The drugs used in the Chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer block the rapidly dividing cancerous cells. Cancerous cells grow and divide out of control. Chemotherapy works at stemming this growth and multiplication of the cancerous cells.
Chemotherapy treatment works just after surgery. Being a systemic treatment, it attacks young and small clusters of cancer cells anywhere in the body. Chemotherapy drugs work best against rapidly dividing cells. The flip side is that they may kill normal cells too. Since cells in the blood, mouth, nose, nails and hair area also undergoing constant and quick division, chemotherapy affects them too. This explains the side effects of chemotherapy such as falling hair, dipping energy levels and infections. Supportive medicines are prescribed to help the body during this phase.
A typical treatment process may involve four to eight cycles of chemotherapy. Chemotherapy reduces the chances of cancer recurring after surgery. The tumours are shrunk with chemotherapy treatment, especially in cases of inflammatory cancer. The chemotherapy drugs are injected through IV needles. Sometimes they are given as pills. Oncologist will monitor your response to the therapy.
Side effects of chemotherapy
Bibliography / Reference
|
