Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease aren’t the same. You can have a type of dementia that’s entirely unassociated to Alzheimer’s disease. According to the National Institute on Aging, dementia is a type of brain condition that affects efficiency of day-to-day activities and interaction.
Alzheimer’s disease is type of dementia that impacts memory, language, and thought. Although younger people can establish dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, your risk increases as you age. Still, neither is thought about a typical part of aging.
Description of Dementia
Dementia is a syndrome, not a disease. A syndrome is a group of symptoms that doesn’t have a definitive diagnosis. Dementia is a group of symptoms that affects mental cognitive tasks such as memory and thinking. Dementia is an umbrella term that Alzheimer’s disease can fall under. It can occur due to a range of conditions, the most typical which is Alzheimer’s disease.
Individuals can have more than one type of dementia This is known as blended dementia Typically, people with combined dementia have multiple conditions that may contribute to dementia. A diagnosis of combined dementia can just be confirmed in an autopsy.
As dementia progresses, it can have a big effect on the ability to work separately. It’s a significant cause of disability for older adults, and puts an emotional and financial concern on families and caretakers.
The World Health Organization states that 47.5 million individuals around the world are coping with dementia.
Symptoms of Dementia
It’s easy to neglect the early symptoms of dementia, which can be mild. It frequently starts with easy episodes of forgetfulness. Individuals with dementia have problem tracking time and have the tendency to lose their way in familiar settings.
As dementia advances, lapse of memory and confusion grow. It becomes harder to remember names and faces. Individual care becomes an issue. Obvious signs of dementia include repetitious questioning, insufficient hygiene, and bad decision-making.
In the most advanced stage, individuals with dementia become not able to look after themselves. They will have a hard time a lot more with keeping an eye on time, and remembering people and places they recognize with. Habits continues to change and can turn into depression and aggressiveness.
Causes of Dementia
You’re most likely to develop dementia as you age. It happens when certain brain cells are harmed. Many conditions can cause dementia, consisting of degenerative illness such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s. Each cause of dementia causes damage to a various set of brain cells.
Alzheimer’s disease is responsible for about 50 to 70 percent of all cases of dementia.
Other causes of dementia include:
- infections, such as HIV
- vascular illness
- stroke
- depression
- chronic substance abuse.
Description of Alzheimer’s Disease
Dementia is the term used to a group of symptoms that negatively effect memory, but Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease of the brain that slowly causes disability in memory and cognitive function. The specific cause is unknown and no cure is offered.
The National Institutes of Health price quote that more than 5 million individuals in the United States have Alzheimer’s disease. Although younger individuals can and do get Alzheimer’s, the symptoms generally begin after age 60.
The time from diagnosis to death can be just three years in people over 80 years of ages. However, it can be much longer for younger people.
The Effects of Alzheimer’s on the Brain
Damage to the brain begins years prior to symptoms appear. Irregular protein deposits form plaques and tangles in the brain of somebody with Alzheimer’s disease. Connections between cells are lost, and they begin to pass away. In innovative cases, the brain shows significant shrinkage.
It’s difficult to identify Alzheimer’s with complete precision while a person is alive. The diagnosis can just be verified when the brain is examined under a microscopic lense during an autopsy. However, specialists are able to make the proper diagnosis as much as 90 percent of the time.
Alzheimer’s vs. Dementia symptoms
The symptoms of Alzheimer’s and dementia can overlap, however there can be some distinctions.
Both conditions can cause:
- a decrease in the capability to think
- memory problems
- interaction impairment.
The symptoms of Alzheimer’s include:
- difficulty keeping in mind current events or discussions
- passiveness
- depression
- impaired judgment
- disorientation
- confusion
- behavioral changes
- difficulty speaking, swallowing, or walking in innovative stages of the disease.
Some types of dementia will share a few of these symptoms, however they include or leave out other symptoms that can help make a differential diagnosis. Lewy body dementia (LBD), for example, has many of the same later symptoms as Alzheimer’s. However, individuals with LBD but are more likely to experience preliminary symptoms such as visual hallucinations, troubles with balance, and sleep disturbances.
People with dementia due to Parkinson’s or Huntington’s disease are most likely to experience uncontrolled motion in the early stages of the disease.
Treating Dementia vs. Treating Alzheimer’s
Treatment for dementia will depend upon the specific cause and type of dementia, however lots of treatments for dementia and Alzheimer’s will overlap.
Alzheimer’s Treatment
No remedy for Alzheimer’s is available, but choices to help handle symptoms of the disease include:
- medications for behavioral changes, such as antipsychotics
- medications for amnesia, that include cholinesterase inhibitors donepezil (Aricept) and rivastigmine (Exelon) and memantine (Namenda)
- alternative remedies that intend to enhance brain function or overall health, such as coconut oil or fish oil
- medications for sleep changes
- medications for depression.
Dementia Treatment
Sometimes, treating the condition that causes dementia might help. Conditions most likely to react to treatment include dementia due to:
- drugs
- growths
- metabolic disorders
- hypoglycemia.
Most of the times, dementia isn’t reversible. However, numerous kinds are treatable. The right medication can help handle dementia. Treatments for dementia will depend upon the cause.
For example, medical professionals often treat dementia caused by Parkinson’s disease and LBD with cholinesterase inhibitors that they also typically use to treat Alzheimer’s.
Treatment for vascular dementia will concentrate on preventing further damage to the brain’s blood vessels and preventing stroke.
Individuals with dementia can also gain from helpful services from home health assistants and other caregivers. An assisted living facility or retirement home might be needed as the disease progresses.
Outlook for individuals with Dementia vs. people with Alzheimer’s
The outlook for individuals with dementia depends completely on the direct cause of the dementia. Treatments are offered to make symptoms of dementia due to Parkinson’s workable, however there isn’t presently a way to stop or perhaps decrease the associated dementia. Vascular dementia can be decreased sometimes, however it still reduces an individual’s life expectancy. Some types of dementia are reversible, but a lot of types are permanent and will rather cause more problems over time.
Alzheimer’s is a terminal disease, and no cure is currently offered. The length of time each of the 3 stages lasts varies. The average person detected with Alzheimer’s has actually an approximated life-span of roughly four to 8 years after diagnosis, however some individuals can cope with Alzheimer’s for as much as 20 years.
Talk with your doctor if you’re concerned that you have the symptoms of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Starting treatment immediately can help you handle your symptoms.
