What Is Dementia?
Dementia is the mental health decline of a person.
Dementia is an overall term used to describe an extensive variety of conditions and symptoms. Alzheimer’s disease affects between 60% to 80% of people with dementia. Most of the changes that occur in the brain that results in dementia are permanent and progressive. However, a few conditions that show signs of dementia can be reversed, such as depression, medication side effects, excessive alcohol consumption, and vitamin deficiency. There are different forms of dementia that are linked to other types of dementia that influence a huge section of the population. These patients may profit from living in a care community.
Vascular Dementia
Vascular dementia is the most common type of dementia besides Alzheimer’s disease. It accounts for 20 to 30 percent of cases and is generally accepted to be under-diagnosed. Otherwise called Vascular Cognitive Impairment, Vascular Dementia is caused by blocked or decreased blood flow to the brain. Impaired judgment or the capacity to plan are some of the underlying symptoms of this condition.
Lewy Body Dementia
Lewy Body Dementia is the third most common type of dementia, following Alzheimer’s disease and Vascular Dementia. It accounts for about 10 to 25 percent of cases other than Alzheimer’s disease. Individuals with LBD frequently encounter similar symptoms of Alzheimer’s which are memory loss and thinking problems; however, they will probably have early side effects, such as sleep disturbances, well-formed visual hallucinations, and even rigid muscles. The diagnosis of Lewy Body Dementia is clinical in nature, which implies it depends on a doctor’s proficient judgment. A LBD diagnosis might be made when dementia side effects consistent with LBD developed before the movement symptoms. A diagnosis can also be made when both the symptoms and movement disorders are present or when dementia side effects developed within a single year of movement symptoms.
Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s disease is a brain disorder that results in shaking and difficulty with coordination, walking, and movement. As this disease progresses, it often leads to dementia similar to Lewy Bodies, as well as Alzheimer’s disease. An individual’s mental functions are damaged, including the person’s memory and the ability to pay attention, make judgments, and capability to plan.
Mixed Dementia
Dementia Multi-Factorial
It is not out of the ordinary to have more than one cause for dementia. Mixed dementia or “Dementia—multi-factorial” is a condition where variations of abnormalities of dementia occur simultaneously. The most widely recognized forms often include Alzheimer’s with Vascular Dementia, Dementia with Lewy bodies, or mind changes associated with all three.
Frontotemporal Dementia
Frontotemporal Dementia is a term that refers to a number of dementias, like behavioral variant FTD, primary progressive aphasia, Pick’s disease and progressive supranuclear palsy. Signs and symptoms for this disease include changes in behavior and difficulty with language. These symptoms occur at a younger age, around 60 years old. Individuals afflicted with this disease survive for a short period of time compared to those with Alzheimer’s.