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.
Alzheimer's on the other hand is a main cause of dementia and especially in older people; in fact it is the main cause of dementia and therefore the common confusion between the two. Alzheimer's causes brain abnormalities in the affected individual and it is very hard to establish. This is because the abnormalities are microscopic and requires that the doctor carries out a closer examination on the patient's history.
To understand Dementia, a good analogy would be fever. Fever shoots the temperature of the person but doesn't give any information about what is causing the sickness. Dementia indicates that there is a problem with a person's brain, but doesn't provide information on what's causing the memory or cognitive problems. It's not a disease. Rather, it's a clinical presentation of a disease.
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.
Although Alzheimer's is just one symptom of dementia, it is hard to identify and might even be identified after death by carrying out a microscopic test of the patient's brains. However, the worst thing is that even after being the most difficult symptom of dementia to identify, of all people suffering from dementia 60-70 percent has Alzheimer's.
Alzheimer's affects the patient's memory which starts to show after the patient reaches sixty years. In older people; over 60 years; the disease can take up to 3 years before the person passes on. However, this is different from younger people; it can take longer before they pass away. On the other hand, on much elderly people who are over 80 years can take less than 3 years after Alzheimer's symptoms show.
There's one challenge which makes people confuse Alzheimer's disease and dementia. It's impossible to accurately diagnose someone with AD when they are alive. It can only be diagnosed after they die, when the brain tissues are carefully examined by a Neuropathologist. However, during their lifetime, a person can only be diagnosed with "probable AD". This term is used by researchers and doctors to indicate that a person is likely to show pathological features of Alzheimer's disease when their brain is examined after death.
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.
Alzheimer's on the other hand is a main cause of dementia and especially in older people; in fact it is the main cause of dementia and therefore the common confusion between the two. Alzheimer's causes brain abnormalities in the affected individual and it is very hard to establish. This is because the abnormalities are microscopic and requires that the doctor carries out a closer examination on the patient's history.
To understand Dementia, a good analogy would be fever. Fever shoots the temperature of the person but doesn't give any information about what is causing the sickness. Dementia indicates that there is a problem with a person's brain, but doesn't provide information on what's causing the memory or cognitive problems. It's not a disease. Rather, it's a clinical presentation of a disease.
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.
Although Alzheimer's is just one symptom of dementia, it is hard to identify and might even be identified after death by carrying out a microscopic test of the patient's brains. However, the worst thing is that even after being the most difficult symptom of dementia to identify, of all people suffering from dementia 60-70 percent has Alzheimer's.
Alzheimer's affects the patient's memory which starts to show after the patient reaches sixty years. In older people; over 60 years; the disease can take up to 3 years before the person passes on. However, this is different from younger people; it can take longer before they pass away. On the other hand, on much elderly people who are over 80 years can take less than 3 years after Alzheimer's symptoms show.
There's one challenge which makes people confuse Alzheimer's disease and dementia. It's impossible to accurately diagnose someone with AD when they are alive. It can only be diagnosed after they die, when the brain tissues are carefully examined by a Neuropathologist. However, during their lifetime, a person can only be diagnosed with "probable AD". This term is used by researchers and doctors to indicate that a person is likely to show pathological features of Alzheimer's disease when their brain is examined after death.
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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