How much do you know about Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia? Is there a difference? The words are sometimes used interchangeably. In fact, dementia a term that can be used to describe several conditions and their symptoms.
What Is Dementia?
A brain-based problem that causes memory issues, interferes with the ability to perform simple daily activities, or negatively impacts communication skills, is called a dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is one form of dementia. Many Alzheimer’s symptoms are common to other forms of dementia.
What Is Alzheimer’s Disease?
In first-world nations, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia. At first the memory slip-ups seem innocent. We all forget things at one time or another. We forget where we put our keys. We look for our glasses and forget we have them on our head! But the person with Alzheimer’s may then forget whether they have eaten a meal. Short term memory goes. Eventually long-term memory is also affected.
The brain’s ability to speak and process language and communicate properly is gradually lost. You become unable to develop new thoughts and process old ones.
Who Gets Alzheimer’s?
While younger people can definitely develop Alzheimer’s, this and other cases of dementia are usually found in older adults. As you age, especially past the age of 60 or 70, your risk for developing dementia in general, and Alzheimer’s specifically, increases dramatically.
As many as 50 million people around the world suffer from some type of dementia. 30 to 35 million of those with dementia have Alzheimer’s. Sadly, experts believe that as many as 3 in 4 people who have Alzheimer’s have not been diagnosed. This is due to a number of factors.
People who sense their memory and communication skills slipping are often fearful of reporting the problem. Also, many people think their fading memory is an expected part of the aging process. It’s important to understand that dementia is not a normal part of aging.
Other Types of Dementia
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and vascular dementia are other forms of dementia. A person may develop dementia symptoms related to Parkinson’s disease or Pick’s disease. A build up of excess cerebrospinal fluid in the brain known as normal pressure hydrocephalus can result in dementia. So can some vitamin deficiencies. It is also possible to suffer from more than one type of dementia, a condition known as mixed dementia.
In each case it is extremely important to diagnose the specific cause(s) of dementia for proper treatment. While it’s true that there is no cure for Alzheimer’s at this time, there are treatments that seem to slow the disease. There are also techniques and therapies that greatly aid those with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers. Just as important is the possibility of identifying a cause of dementia which is curable. In all cases, the earlier treatment is started, the better the outcome.
