Dementia is a term that describes a group of symptoms including loss of memory, judgment, language, complex motor skills, and other intellectual functions – caused by the permanent damage or death of the brain’s nerve cells, neurons. “Dementia” is a symptom. It’s a progressive mental deterioration.
There are many illnesses that cause dementia – Alzheimer’s Disease is responsible for about 60-80% of dementia. Other illnesses include Lewy Body disease, vascular dementia, prefrontal dementia, stroke, Huntington’s, Parkinson’s, Creutz-feldt Jacob, Downs Syndrome, alcoholism, and AIDS. We’ll focus on Alzheimer’s.
Most are aware of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s involving memory, but there are symptoms in other categories as well:
There are many illnesses that cause dementia – Alzheimer’s Disease is responsible for about 60-80% of dementia. Other illnesses include Lewy Body disease, vascular dementia, prefrontal dementia, stroke, Huntington’s, Parkinson’s, Creutz-feldt Jacob, Downs Syndrome, alcoholism, and AIDS. We’ll focus on Alzheimer’s.
Most are aware of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s involving memory, but there are symptoms in other categories as well:
There is some normal memory loss with aging. This is because our circulation, sleep and repair mechanisms are less efficient as we age. The memory-related structure in the brain called the hippocampus loses 5% of its cells every decade due to normal aging, starting around age 25!