The difference between Alzheimer’s disease and dementia

The difference between Alzheimer’s disease and dementia
– Ocskay Mark / Shutterstock.com

As a person gets older, there is a higher chance that he or she will fall victim to a brain disease that leads to dementia. In many cases it is Alzheimer’s disease. In other words, there is a certain difference between dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. We’ll tell you which one.

Alzheimer’s disease is actually one of the causes of dementia

It is estimated that about 50% of people age 85 and over suffer from it mental illness. Unfortunately, dementia is an irreversible and incurable problem, even if there are now medications that can slow the onset of symptoms. You should know that dementia is not really a disease. It is actually an umbrella term that represents a group of diseases and conditions that affect thinking, memory, reasoning, personality, mood, and behaviour.

In other words, dementia is a prolonged and progressive decline in cognitive function that affects the abilities needed to function normally in daily life. There are many things that can cause dementia, but in general, a decline is caused by damage or disease to specific parts of the brain. The most common cause of dementia is a diseaseAlzheimer’s disease. This means that a person with Alzheimer’s disease necessarily suffers from dementia.

But not everyone with dementia has Alzheimer’s disease, as there are other possible causes of dementia. These include vascular dementia, Lewy body disease, mixed dementia, frontotemporal dementia, and Korsakoff syndrome. Although all of these diseases cause dementia, they all manifest themselves in different ways and are themselves caused by different causes.

Alzheimer's brain
—SvedOliver / Shutterstock.com

What is Alzheimer’s disease?

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurological disorder that causes shrinkage (atrophy) of the brain and death of brain cells. In France, it is estimated that approx Millions of people are infected with this disease, with approximately 225,000 new cases diagnosed each year. Memory loss is the main symptom of Alzheimer’s disease. The first signs are having trouble remembering recent conversations or events.

See also  Laundry science, and other green laundry

As the disease progresses, memory impairment gets worse and other symptoms develop. Despite numerous studies on this disease, its exact causes are still not fully understood. Either way, it’s known to bind to brain proteins that don’t function normally, disrupting brain cells (neurons) and setting off a toxic chain of events. Scientists believe that for most people, Alzheimer’s disease is caused by a combination of genetic, lifestyle, and environmental factors.

There is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s disease. However, there are medications that can temporarily slow the worsening of dementia symptoms.

You May Also Like

About the Author: Irene Alves

"Bacon ninja. Guru do álcool. Explorador orgulhoso. Ávido entusiasta da cultura pop."

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *