Savvy Senior: What is the difference between Alzheimer's disease and dementia? | News from the community

Dear Savvy Senior,

What is the difference between Alzheimer's disease and dementia? My aunt is suffering from dementia, but she does not know if she is suffering from Alzheimer's disease, which is very confusing for me.

– Trying to Understand

Dear Trying,

Many people use the words "Alzheimer" and "Dementia" interchangeably, but they are not the same thing. In fact, you may have a form of dementia that has nothing to do with Alzheimer's disease. Here's What You Need To Know

Dementia vs. Alzheimer's Disease

Dementia is a general term for a set of symptoms that includes memory loss, reduced communication skills, decline in reasoning and changes in behavior. It strikes the elderly most often and was known as senility

Alzheimer's disease is a specific disease that is the most common cause of dementia. Although many diseases can cause dementia, Alzheimer's disease – which affects 5.7 million Americans today – accounts for 60 to 80% of dementia cases, which is why often means terms used interchangeably.

the symptoms of dementia, such as vascular dementia, which is the second most common cause, accounting for about 10 percent of dementia cases. Vascular dementia is caused by a stroke or poor circulation to the brain.

Lewy body dementia, Parkinson's disease, frontotemporal dementia, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, traumatic chronic encephalopathy (CTC), Huntington's disease are other degenerative diseases that can cause dementia. and Korsakoff syndrome. Some patients may also have more of a form of dementia, known as mixed dementia.

Dementia is caused by damage to brain cells, but symptoms may vary by cause. In the case of Alzheimer 's disease, protein fragments, or plaques, accumulate in the space between nerve cells and tangles of another protein that s'. accumulates in the cells.

In Alzheimer's disease, dementia gradually worsens where patients can not carry out daily activities, talk, respond to their environment, swallow or walk. Although some treatments may temporarily lessen the symptoms, the progression to the bottom of the disease continues and is not curable.

But some forms of dementia are reversible, which is why it is important to be evaluated by a physician from the beginning. Vitamin deficiencies, thyroid problems, brain tumors, depression, excessive consumption of alcohol, side effects of drugs and some infectious diseases can cause reversible forms of dementia.

Another form of treatable dementia is normal pressure hydrocephalus. an accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain that can be relieved by surgically implanting a shunt to evacuate excess fluid. This type of dementia is often preceded or accompanied by difficulty walking and incontinence.

To learn more about the different types of dementia, including symptoms, risks, causes and treatments, visit the Alzheimer's Association at http://ALZ.org/

Send your questions Older to: Senior Savvy, PO Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of the book "The Savvy Senior"