There were two independent reviewers and they abstracted for toxin exposure and the type of treatment.
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Juxtaposed alongside the ongoing rise in the incidence and prevalence of dementia, is the surge of recent research confirming widespread exposure and bioaccumulation of chemical toxicants. Evidence from sources such as the Centers for Disease Control reveals that most people have accrued varying degrees of assorted toxic pollutants including heavy metals, flame retardants, and pesticide residues within their bodies. It has been well established that many of these toxicants have neurodegenerative as well as neurodevelopmental impact as a result of various pathophysiologic mechanisms including neuronal mitochondrial toxicity and disruption of neurotransmitter regulation. Elimination of stockpiled toxicants from the body may diminish adverse toxicant impact on human biology and allow restoration of normal physiological function. Incorporating a review of medical literature on toxicant exposure and dementia with a case history of a lead-exposed individual diagnosed with dementia, this paper will discuss a much overlooked and potentially widespread cause of declining brain function and dementia.
1. Introduction
The rising incidence and prevalence of dementia has become an enormous public health challenge. At the 2009 International Conference on Alzheimer's disease in Vienna, Dr. William Thies, Chief Medical and Scientific Officer for the Alzheimer's Association, summarized the challenge with his comment: “The number of people affected by Alzheimer's and dementia is growing at an epidemic pace, and the skyrocketing financial and personal costs will devastate the world's economies and health care systems, and far too many families” [1].
A diagnosis of dementia has profound personal and social implications for patients and their loved ones. The most common type of dementia, Alzheimer's disease (AD), occurs in about one in every nine people aged 65 and over, with a continued rise in incidence anticipated in the coming years [2]. Dementia is associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality and is accompanied by enormous personal suffering for patients, as well as challenging management problems for families, physicians, and health care systems [3]. It appears that efforts at prevention and treatment of dementia for the last two decades have had little effect on the rising prevalence of this health problem or the quality of life for many patients suffering with this disorder [3]. By integrating information from the medical and scientific literature with clinical outcomes from a case history of an individual diagnosed with dementia, this paper will discuss toxicant exposure and bioaccumulation, a much overlooked and potentially modifiable cause of declining brain function and dementia.
2. Sources of Information
A Review of the Diagnosis and Treatment of Ochratoxin A Inhalational Exposure Associated with Human Illness and Kidney Disease including Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis