When people hear the word dementia,
they almost instantly think of Alzheimer's. However, there are
several different types of dementia. Knowing the difference means
knowing what to expect and getting the right treatment when
available. Here are the most common types of dementia apart from
Alzheimer's.
Vascular Dementia
Vascular dementia accounts for about 10 percent of dementia cases and results from problems with the blood vessels that supply the brain. It often develops after the person has had a stroke. A person with vascular dementia will not have the degree of memory loss of a person with Alzheimer's, but they will have trouble thinking, planning, and organizing.
The illness course is unpredictable because the
location, number, and size of the brain injuries from one or more
strokes will determine whether dementia will result and how the
individual's thinking and physical function will be affected.
Mixed Dementia
A person can have brain changes resulting from more than one cause, such as vascular dementia and Parkinson's. In this case, they are said to have mixed dementia. This is most likely in people over 85.
Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB)
Lewy bodies are clumps of a particular protein that can clog the cerebral cortex and affect memory and thinking problems. People with this condition often have trouble sleeping and visual hallucinations. They sometimes exhibit similar symptoms to those with Parkinson's disease. The symptoms/course of the disease will vary depending on the movement of the Lewy bodies. This can result in many everyday moments and then sudden declines into dementia.
Parkinson's Disease
As Parkinson's disease progresses, it often results in dementia similar to dementia with Lewy bodies, or Alzheimer's. The main symptoms are problems with movement, such as slowness, rigidity, tremor, and gait and tremor (the shakes). With Parkinson's, Lewy bodies form in an area deep in the brain called the substantia nigra. They cause degeneration of the nerve cells that produce dopamine, an essential neurotransmitter or chemical which controls movement.
The boxer Muhammad Ali developed Parkinson's during his sports career and lived with it for many years. The actor Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with it at a very young age, but lifestyle strategies and medication help him keep working.
Frontotemporal Lobal Degeneration (FTLD)
This dementia affects the brain's frontotemporal area and results in changes in personality and behavior, as well as difficulty with language. Nerve cells in the front and side regions of the brain are significantly affected. It tends to affect people at a younger age: 60% of people with FTLD are aged 45 to 60. It accounts for about 10 percent of all dementia cases.
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
CJD is the most common human form of rare, fatal brain disorders affecting people and certain other mammals. It is often referred to as "mad cow disease" and is thought to result from eating animal products from infected cows. It is a fatal disease that impairs memory and coordination and causes behavior changes as the brain's proteins all start to malfunction.
Huntington's Disease
Huntington's disease is a progressive brain disorder caused by a single defective gene on chromosome 4. Symptoms include tremor and jerking, a severe decline in thinking and reasoning skills, irritability, depression, and other mood changes. The signs will get worse over time as more of the proteins in the brain are affected.
Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome
This syndrome is a chronic memory disorder caused by a severe thiamine deficiency (vitamin B1), usually the result of chronic alcoholism. Symptoms include an awful memory, though otherwise, the person's thinking will seem normal. Getting more B1 and cutting back on alcohol should restore the natural balance in the brain.
As you can see, there are many different types of dementia, and a medical professional will diagnose which type a person suffers from what type.
