Many people wonder about Alzheimer’s disease and dementia differences. Although some doctors will use the terms interchangeably, a physician must make the final determination, and there are basic distinctions. Dementia is an impairment of thinking and memory which will interfere with a person’s ability to do things he or she was previously able to do. In short, dementia is more of a symptom, and encompasses the deterioration of the brain and intellectual abilities which are a result of an unspecified disease or disorder of the brain. Some of the things which cause dementia are treatable, maybe even curable. A diagnosis of dementia is useless in itself unless you know what is causing the dementia. Because Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, it is typically equated with the term. In fact, there are other causes of dementia besides Alzheimer’s disease such as Parkinson’s disease, a stroke, a brain injury and even extreme dehydration.
Alzheimer’s Disease Diagnosis
Alzheimer’s disease is a specific form of dementia and manifests through specific microscopic brain abnormalities. The problem is, it’s almost impossible at this time to see such brain irregularities, so for a doctor to definitively distinguish Alzheimer’s from other types of dementia requires a thorough patient history, medical tests and an examination to define the patient’s abilities. Alzheimer’s progresses slowly, beginning with a loss of short-term memory as well as a loss of either speech, language, the ability to interact with the environment, judgment or awareness abilities, or personality traits. In order to determine whether the disease is Alzheimer’s, the doctor will ask about things that require long-term memory, vision, muscle strength and the ability to feel things. Most physicians will get a CT or MRI scan of the brain, and will probably take blood tests to distinguish Alzheimer’s disease and dementia differences.
Potential Causes of Dementia
In an attempt to exclude Alzheimer’s, most physicians will first look for an alternative cause of dementia. If, for instance, a teenager or younger adult showed symptoms of dementia, it would be unlikely that Alzheimer’s was the cause, so other causes would be investigated. A person who has suffered a head injury can have dementia; however, Alzheimer’s would not be likely in a case such as this. It is much more likely that a head trauma would cause post-traumatic dementia, which is not Alzheimer’s disease. Distinguishing the two diseases in later-in-life patients is much more difficult, but essential in order to ensure the correct treatment.
Alzheimer’s disease is a type of dementia with it accounting for 50-70 percent of dementia cases. Â The disease is not a normal part of aging, and is progressive and worsens over time. It is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S., and although there is no current cure, there are treatments to slow the symptoms. Distinguishing Alzheimer’s disease and dementia differences is crucial because some causes of dementia are treatable and potentially curable.
