Combat Military Personnel and Selective Risk Factors for the Development of Dementias - A Review

Abstract

: Due to the growth of life expectancies and the increasing number of elderly population all over the world, there is a risk of growth of aging diseases such as dementia. Recent research studies also indicate that there will be a growing number of military veterans who will be affected by dementia, already at the age of 55+ years. In the case of combat military personnel, the most common dementias are Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia. These two dementias are very similar because their main symptoms are the same. The purpose of this review is to explore two main risk factors influencing the development of the dementias. These include posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Furthermore, the authors of this study focus on the exploration of the treatment of PTSD and TBI in order to delay the development of dementias among combat military personnel. : For the purpose of this study, a method of literature review of available sources exploring these two main risk factors of dementia among combat military personnel was used. Based on the evaluation of these literature sources, possibilities of pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches to the treatment and care of these people were described.