Introduction: According to statistics, the population in the world is getting older. As a result, the number of diseases that are most commonly developed in the age of 65 and more increases. One of those is also dementia. Dementia is a syndrome, from which more and more people suffer every year. Due to the fact that dementia cannot be cured and for the time being it is not yet known exactly why it occurs, it is a major public health problem since it has a strong influence on the patients’ quality of life in its final stages. Because of this it is necessary to investigate and try to identify as many factors as possible affecting the onset of the development of dementia. With the already known state postoperative cognitive decline, which occurs most commonly after surgeries under general anaesthesia, it can be thought that this may be one of the reasons for the development of dementia or acceleration of its development. Purpose: The purpose of the bachelor’s thesis is to determine the possible link between general anaesthesia and the onset / development of symptoms of dementia. Methods: The bachelor’s thesis was written using a descriptive work method with a overview of foreign and domestic literature. Articles used were less than 5 years old so that we were able to include the latest findings in this field but we also selected some older literature for the theoretical part of the bachelor’s thesis. We used databases such as CINAHL, ScienceDirect, PubMed, and web browser Google scholar, professional books, obtained in the City Library of Kranj, data of the Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia, which are accessible on the Internet. We used 35 sources of literature, 19 of which were professional articles, 9 documents with data of statistical offices and health organizations, specialistic work, a publication, a Slovene language dictionary, 3 books and a document containing information on health care activities. Discussion and conclusion: Analysing the data obtained with the help of research articles on general anaesthesia and dementia, we have come to the conclusion that the question of whether general anesthesia can affect the onset and development of dementia cannot be answered at the moment. General anaesthesia is currently not considered as one of the possible factors for the emergence and development of dementia, as we do not have enough research to prove otherwise. The research we have read have had different findings. In some research where they have been examining people for years, came to the conclusion that dementia is more common in those who had surgery under general anaesthesia and in some that it is not. Therefore, currently, on the basis of the research we have, we cannot prove that there is a connection. It is important that it is also explored in a different way, not only through surveying, for example by integrating biochemical research and the opinions and findings of health professionals in the field of psychiatry, geriatrics and anesthesiology. Some studies have shown that anaesthetics affect the brain and cells that play an important role in the development of dementia. It is necessary to encourage research in this field and try to identify as many possible factors that affect the development of dementia as possible, and thus to reduce the increasing number of patients suffering from the syndrome.
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