5 Types of Dementia

“Dementia” is the umbrella name given to several diseases caused by degeneration or changes in the brain. Effects of these changes are usually impairment in specific cognitive abilities (i.e memory, language, decision-making skills). While Dementia could affect young people, it is most common among the elderly.

Alzheimer’s is a neurological degenerative disease—a condition that causes death of brain cells. These brain cells are the ones needed for cognitive reasoning, language, and memory. Symptoms include loss of memory, loss of ability to walk or speak. Alzheimer’s is the major cause of dementia as well as of senile dementia.

Vascular dementia is the second most common type of dementia, caused by lack of flow of blood to the brain. This lack of flow can be by damage or degeneration of blood vessels supplying blood to the brain—known as the vascular system. Symptoms include inability to perform tasks and reduction in cognitive abilities.

Lewy bodies are protein deposits found in nerve cells of brain. The deposits interrupt chemical messages between nerve cells leading to loss of connection between affected nerve cells. Lewy bodies affect the symptoms experienced. People experience cognitive problems when Lewy bodies are present at outer layers of brain.

It affects the temporal lobes in the brain. These are responsible for reasoning, behavior, recognition of words and faces, and control of emotions, hence this type of dementia is characterized by a lack of inhibition, compulsive behavior, loss of speech and inability to remember common words. People between 45-65 years of age are most prone to this disease.

Occurs when a person suffers from more than one type of dementia simultaneously. Alzheimer’s and Vascular dementia are the two most common combinations of dementias, mixed dementia patients suffer from. Symptoms of this dementia depend on the contributing diseases with one being predominant. This dementia usually affects people over the age of 75 years.

Dementia can affect anyone and it doesn’t have to be the end of life. It can be managed through professional help and medicine.