When it comes to differentiating Alzheimer's and dementia, a lot of confusion is experienced and especially because most people use the two words interchangeably. Although slightly related, the two words are very different. In simple explanation, Alzheimer's is one cause of the symptoms of dementia while dementia is a symptom that can be caused by different factors; Alzheimer's being one of the causes.
In short, dementia is a symptom whereas Alzheimer's disease is the cause. Dr. Robert Stern, who is the Director of Boston University of Alzheimer's disease center provides a more detailed description that highlights the difference between Alzheimers and dementia.
According to the World Health Organization, there are 35.6 million people around the world who are suffering from dementia. Though, it is not a disease, dementia is actually a collection of symptoms that can affect a person's mental activity including reasoning as well as memory. It can be caused by a variety of conditions and it is most common among patients with Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimer's progresses slowly and can start by the patient having a short memory and later developing other problems such as poor judgment and decision making. In order to distinguish Alzheimer's from other causes of dementia, the doctor will first examine these first symptoms in order to establish the real cause of dementia. A CT scan can follow in order to be sure that Alzheimer's is the real cause of condition dementia.
Some of the early signs of dementia include growing confusion and being forgetful. Patients who are suffering from this condition find it hard to remember faces as well as names. They cannot give care to themselves leading them to have inadequate personal hygiene.
When an individual is told they have dementia, it means they have a memory problem and a series of cognitive inabilities. These problems may get worse to an extent that they eat into the daily living of that person.
In most cases, a person having dementia develops it as a result of Alzheimer's disease. AD can have early stages when the symptoms are mild, but then it progresses from mild to severe stages with time.
If a person has Alzheimer's disease, the damage to the brain can begin even before the symptoms show. There are abnormal protein deposits that form plaques and tangles in the brain of a patient with Alzheimer's. The connections between the cells are lost, thus they begin to die.
Dementia on the other hand starts with slight signs of forgetting things including names and faces of people you see regularly. The condition worsens as it progresses and the patient loses track of the most common setting. This can easily lead to depression making the patient fail to even take care of themselves.
In short, dementia is a symptom whereas Alzheimer's disease is the cause. Dr. Robert Stern, who is the Director of Boston University of Alzheimer's disease center provides a more detailed description that highlights the difference between Alzheimers and dementia.
According to the World Health Organization, there are 35.6 million people around the world who are suffering from dementia. Though, it is not a disease, dementia is actually a collection of symptoms that can affect a person's mental activity including reasoning as well as memory. It can be caused by a variety of conditions and it is most common among patients with Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimer's progresses slowly and can start by the patient having a short memory and later developing other problems such as poor judgment and decision making. In order to distinguish Alzheimer's from other causes of dementia, the doctor will first examine these first symptoms in order to establish the real cause of dementia. A CT scan can follow in order to be sure that Alzheimer's is the real cause of condition dementia.
Some of the early signs of dementia include growing confusion and being forgetful. Patients who are suffering from this condition find it hard to remember faces as well as names. They cannot give care to themselves leading them to have inadequate personal hygiene.
When an individual is told they have dementia, it means they have a memory problem and a series of cognitive inabilities. These problems may get worse to an extent that they eat into the daily living of that person.
In most cases, a person having dementia develops it as a result of Alzheimer's disease. AD can have early stages when the symptoms are mild, but then it progresses from mild to severe stages with time.
If a person has Alzheimer's disease, the damage to the brain can begin even before the symptoms show. There are abnormal protein deposits that form plaques and tangles in the brain of a patient with Alzheimer's. The connections between the cells are lost, thus they begin to die.
Dementia on the other hand starts with slight signs of forgetting things including names and faces of people you see regularly. The condition worsens as it progresses and the patient loses track of the most common setting. This can easily lead to depression making the patient fail to even take care of themselves.
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If you are looking for information on the various stages when it comes to dementia, then please visit the website. It is an excellent resource for people wanting a brief introduction to the illness. It also has useful information regarding The Difference Between Dementia and Alzheimer's?.
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