The Meaning and Causes of Dementia.

Dementia is a description of the state of a person’s mental function and not a specific disease. Dementia entails a decline in mental function from a previously higher level that’s severe enough to interfere with daily living. A person with dementia has two or more of these specific difficulties, including a decline in: Memory. Reasoning. Language. Coordination. Mood. Behavior. Dementia develops when the parts of your brain involved with learning, memory, decision-making or language are affected by infections or diseases. The most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease.

But other known causes of dementia include: Vascular dementia. Dementia with Lewy bodies. Frontotemporal dementia. Mixed dementia. Dementia due to Parkinson’s disease. Dementia-like conditions due to reversible causes, such as medication side effects or thyroid problems.

What’s the difference between dementia and Alzheimer’s disease?

Dementia is a description of the state of a person’s mental function and not a specific disease. Dementia is an “umbrella category” describing mental decline that’s severe enough to interfere with daily living.

There are many underlying causes of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common underlying cause of dementia.

Who gets dementia? Dementia is considered a late-life disease because it tends to develop mostly in people who are older. About 5% to 8% of all people over the age of 65 have some form of dementia, and this number doubles every five years above that age. It’s estimated that as many as half of people 85 years of age and older have dementia. The number of people age 65 and older who have Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias by race is: Blacks: 14%, Hispanics: 12%, Non-Hispanic whites: 10%, American Indian and Alaska Natives: 9%, Asian and Pacific Islanders: 8%.

How common is dementia? The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that 5 million U.S. adults age 65 or older have Alzheimer’s and related dementia. By 2060, the CDC projects that about 14 million people will have dementia, which is about 3.3% of the population. Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S. and the fifth leading cause of death in Americans age 65 and older.

Does memory loss mean dementia is starting? One common misbelief about memory loss is that it always means you or a loved one has dementia. There are many causes of memory loss. Memory loss alone doesn’t necessarily confirm a diagnosis of dementia. It’s also true that some memory changes are normal as a person ages (some neurons in your brain naturally die as we age). However, this type of memory loss isn’t functionally disabling; meaning, it doesn’t interfere with daily life.

Dementia interferes with your ability to function. Dementia isn’t forgetting where you left your keys. A person with dementia can have situations like forgetting what keys are used for. Dementia isn’t a normal part of aging.

Are there different types of dementia? Dementias can be divided into three groups: Primary (diseases and conditions in which dementia is the main illness). Secondary (dementia due to another disease or condition). Reversible dementia-like symptoms caused by other illnesses or causes.

Primary dementia: Types of primary dementia include: Alzheimer’s disease: This is the most common type of dementia. Two abnormal proteins build up in your brain: tau and amyloid proteins. These proteins disrupt communication between nerve cells in your brain. Nerve cells die, starting in one area and spreading as more nerve cells die in other areas. Symptoms include short-term memory loss, confusion, personality and behavior changes. Trouble talking, remembering distant memories and issues with walking happen later in the disease. Alzheimer’s disease mainly affects adults who are older — up to 10% of those over age 65 and about 50% of people older than 85 have the disease. Family history is an important risk factor. Approximately 60% to 80% of people with dementia have this type.

Vascular dementia: This is the second most common type of dementia. It’s caused by conditions such as strokes or atherosclerosis, which block and damage blood vessels in your brain. Symptoms include memory problems, confusion and trouble concentrating and completing tasks. The decline may appear suddenly (following a major stroke) or in steps (following a series of mini strokes). Risk factors include high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol levels. About 15% to 25% of people with dementia have vascular dementia.

Lewy body dementia: This condition involves the buildup of clumps of proteins — called Lewy bodies — in your brain’s nerve cells. Lewy bodies damage nerve cells. Symptoms include movement and balance problems, changes in sleep patterns, memory loss, planning and problem-solving difficulties, and visual hallucinations and delusions. About 5% to 10% of dementias are Lewy Body dementia.

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD): This dementia results from damage to the frontal and temporal lobes of your brain. The damage is caused by the buildup of abnormal proteins in these areas. It causes changes in social behavior, personality, and/or loss of language skills (speaking, understanding or forgetting the meaning of common words) or motor coordination. FTD is a common cause of early dementia, often occurring in people between the ages of 45 and 64. Between 5% and 6% of all dementias are FTD.

Mixed dementia: This is a combination of two or more types of dementia. The most common combination is Alzheimer’s disease with vascular dementia. It’s most common in people 80 years of age and over. It’s often hard to diagnose because symptoms of one dementia may be more obvious and/or many symptoms of each type overlap. The decline is faster in people who have mixed dementia compared with those who only have one type.

Symptoms and Causes: What are the symptoms of dementia?

Early symptoms of dementia include:

• Forgetting recent events or information.

• Repeating comments or questions over a very short period.

• Misplacing commonly used items or placing them in unusual spots.

• Not knowing the season, year or month.

• Having difficulty coming up with the right words.

• Experiencing a change in mood, behavior or interests.

Signs that dementia is getting worse include:

• Your ability to remember and make decisions further declines.

• Talking and finding the right words becomes more difficult.

• Daily complex tasks, such as brushing your teeth, making a cup of coffee, working a TV remote, cooking and paying bills become more challenging.

• Lessening of rational thinking and behavior and your ability to problem-solve.

• Sleeping pattern changes.

• Increases or worsening of anxiety, frustration, confusion, agitation, suspiciousness, sadness and/or depression.

• Needing more help with activities of daily living, such as grooming, toileting, bathing and eating.

• Experiencing hallucinations (seeing people or objects that aren’t there).

These symptoms are general symptoms of dementia. Each person diagnosed with dementia has different symptoms, depending on what area of their brain is damaged. Additional symptoms and/or unique symptoms occur with specific types of dementia.

What are the causes of dementia? Dementia is caused by damage to your brain. Dementia affects your brain’s nerve cells, which destroys your brain’s ability to communicate with its various areas. Dementia can also result from blocked blood flow to your brain, depriving it of needed oxygen and nutrients. Without oxygen and nutrients, brain tissue dies.

Damage to your brain results in different symptoms, depending on the area of your brain affected. Some dementias aren’t reversible and will worsen over time. Other dementias are due to other medical conditions that also affect your brain. Another group of health issues can result in dementia-like symptoms. Many of these conditions are treatable, and the dementia symptoms are reversible.

This article is now owned by Umuaka Times.

The Meaning and Causes of Dementia.

Dementia is a description of the state of a person’s mental function and not a specific disease. Dementia entails a decline in mental function from a previously higher level that’s severe enough to interfere with daily living. A person with dementia has two or more of these specific difficulties, including a decline in: Memory. Reasoning. Language. Coordination. Mood. Behavior. Dementia develops when the parts of your brain involved with learning, memory, decision-making or language are affected by infections or diseases. The most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease.

But other known causes of dementia include: Vascular dementia. Dementia with Lewy bodies. Frontotemporal dementia. Mixed dementia. Dementia due to Parkinson’s disease. Dementia-like conditions due to reversible causes, such as medication side effects or thyroid problems.

What’s the difference between dementia and Alzheimer’s disease?

Dementia is a description of the state of a person’s mental function and not a specific disease. Dementia is an “umbrella category” describing mental decline that’s severe enough to interfere with daily living.

There are many underlying causes of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common underlying cause of dementia.

Who gets dementia? Dementia is considered a late-life disease because it tends to develop mostly in people who are older. About 5% to 8% of all people over the age of 65 have some form of dementia, and this number doubles every five years above that age. It’s estimated that as many as half of people 85 years of age and older have dementia. The number of people age 65 and older who have Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias by race is: Blacks: 14%, Hispanics: 12%, Non-Hispanic whites: 10%, American Indian and Alaska Natives: 9%, Asian and Pacific Islanders: 8%.

How common is dementia? The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that 5 million U.S. adults age 65 or older have Alzheimer’s and related dementia. By 2060, the CDC projects that about 14 million people will have dementia, which is about 3.3% of the population. Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S. and the fifth leading cause of death in Americans age 65 and older.

Does memory loss mean dementia is starting? One common misbelief about memory loss is that it always means you or a loved one has dementia. There are many causes of memory loss. Memory loss alone doesn’t necessarily confirm a diagnosis of dementia. It’s also true that some memory changes are normal as a person ages (some neurons in your brain naturally die as we age). However, this type of memory loss isn’t functionally disabling; meaning, it doesn’t interfere with daily life.

Dementia interferes with your ability to function. Dementia isn’t forgetting where you left your keys. A person with dementia can have situations like forgetting what keys are used for. Dementia isn’t a normal part of aging.

Are there different types of dementia? Dementias can be divided into three groups: Primary (diseases and conditions in which dementia is the main illness). Secondary (dementia due to another disease or condition). Reversible dementia-like symptoms caused by other illnesses or causes.

Primary dementia: Types of primary dementia include: Alzheimer’s disease: This is the most common type of dementia. Two abnormal proteins build up in your brain: tau and amyloid proteins. These proteins disrupt communication between nerve cells in your brain. Nerve cells die, starting in one area and spreading as more nerve cells die in other areas. Symptoms include short-term memory loss, confusion, personality and behavior changes. Trouble talking, remembering distant memories and issues with walking happen later in the disease. Alzheimer’s disease mainly affects adults who are older — up to 10% of those over age 65 and about 50% of people older than 85 have the disease. Family history is an important risk factor. Approximately 60% to 80% of people with dementia have this type.

Vascular dementia: This is the second most common type of dementia. It’s caused by conditions such as strokes or atherosclerosis, which block and damage blood vessels in your brain. Symptoms include memory problems, confusion and trouble concentrating and completing tasks. The decline may appear suddenly (following a major stroke) or in steps (following a series of mini strokes). Risk factors include high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol levels. About 15% to 25% of people with dementia have vascular dementia.

Lewy body dementia: This condition involves the buildup of clumps of proteins — called Lewy bodies — in your brain’s nerve cells. Lewy bodies damage nerve cells. Symptoms include movement and balance problems, changes in sleep patterns, memory loss, planning and problem-solving difficulties, and visual hallucinations and delusions. About 5% to 10% of dementias are Lewy Body dementia.

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD): This dementia results from damage to the frontal and temporal lobes of your brain. The damage is caused by the buildup of abnormal proteins in these areas. It causes changes in social behavior, personality, and/or loss of language skills (speaking, understanding or forgetting the meaning of common words) or motor coordination. FTD is a common cause of early dementia, often occurring in people between the ages of 45 and 64. Between 5% and 6% of all dementias are FTD.

Mixed dementia: This is a combination of two or more types of dementia. The most common combination is Alzheimer’s disease with vascular dementia. It’s most common in people 80 years of age and over. It’s often hard to diagnose because symptoms of one dementia may be more obvious and/or many symptoms of each type overlap. The decline is faster in people who have mixed dementia compared with those who only have one type.

Symptoms and Causes: What are the symptoms of dementia?

Early symptoms of dementia include:

• Forgetting recent events or information.

• Repeating comments or questions over a very short period.

• Misplacing commonly used items or placing them in unusual spots.

• Not knowing the season, year or month.

• Having difficulty coming up with the right words.

• Experiencing a change in mood, behavior or interests.

Signs that dementia is getting worse include:

• Your ability to remember and make decisions further declines.

• Talking and finding the right words becomes more difficult.

• Daily complex tasks, such as brushing your teeth, making a cup of coffee, working a TV remote, cooking and paying bills become more challenging.

• Lessening of rational thinking and behavior and your ability to problem-solve.

• Sleeping pattern changes.

• Increases or worsening of anxiety, frustration, confusion, agitation, suspiciousness, sadness and/or depression.

• Needing more help with activities of daily living, such as grooming, toileting, bathing and eating.

• Experiencing hallucinations (seeing people or objects that aren’t there).

These symptoms are general symptoms of dementia. Each person diagnosed with dementia has different symptoms, depending on what area of their brain is damaged. Additional symptoms and/or unique symptoms occur with specific types of dementia.

What are the causes of dementia? Dementia is caused by damage to your brain. Dementia affects your brain’s nerve cells, which destroys your brain’s ability to communicate with its various areas. Dementia can also result from blocked blood flow to your brain, depriving it of needed oxygen and nutrients. Without oxygen and nutrients, brain tissue dies.

Damage to your brain results in different symptoms, depending on the area of your brain affected. Some dementias aren’t reversible and will worsen over time. Other dementias are due to other medical conditions that also affect your brain. Another group of health issues can result in dementia-like symptoms. Many of these conditions are treatable, and the dementia symptoms are reversible.

This article is now owned by Umuaka Times.