Could a hypoxic episode cause dementia?
This is a very difficult response to your question. Yes, a hypoxic episode can cause brain damage which is like a stroke and as you know people who have had a stroke sometimes recover. If he does not become upset try simple word games, flash cards and perhaps pictures of your family, trips you have taken and other happy occasions. If he likes to sing, play the old Mitch Miller sing-a-long tapes. Above all, just love him , hold his hand, show your love. The power of "loving touch" is incredible
Make sure your husband doesn't have sleep apnea. THERE ARE DIFFERENT TESTS AVAILABLE. MY HUSBAND HAD APNEA AND SLEEP APNEA. HIS O2 WOULD BE 97 AND THE NEXT MINUTE OR SO 89 AND EVEN 79. HYPOXIA CAN ALSO CAUSE SEIZURES. YES IT DOES CAUSE DEMENTIA. OXYGEN IS VERY IMPORTANT.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy might help, if you have it available locally. It's a bit expensive but it's known to reverse some kinds of damage by infusing the oxygen-deprived tissues with oxygen...
Yes, the decreased blood oxygen that may occur in pneumonia or COPD can cause dementia or worsen a sub clinical brain impairment that is already present. Oxygen replacement therapy must be monitored carefully to insure that oxygen saturation does not fall too low. Medicines that suppress respiration also can contribute to dementia and so may general anesthesia. Once brain cells are injured they usually do not recover but even in older people it is possible to form new brain pathways if an underlying dementia isn't also present. I find music to be very helpful with my husband's Alzheimer's dementia. Music was very important in our backgrounds, especially old songs and I find I can sometimes open things up by singing to him (even though I sound more like a wounded crow than a mockingbird. It is surely a sad thing when this happens so suddenly. Is anyone talking about some kind of cognitive therapy? It too might help to open new pathways.
