Apr 15 2009
What is the Difference Between Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia?
What exactly is the difference between Alzheimer’s disease and dementia? We often hear the terms used interchangeably, but they are different. Below are the definitions for the terms Alzheimer’s disease and dementia:
Alzheimer’s disease: a common form of dementia of unknown cause, usually beginning in late middle age, characterized by memory lapses, confusion, emotional instability, and progressive loss of mental ability. source
dementia: severe impairment or loss of intellectual capacity and personality integration, due to the loss of or damage to neurons in the brain. source
A simple way of understanding the difference is to remember that everyone who has Alzheimer’s disease has dementia, but not everyone who has dementia has Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, but dementia can be caused by other illnesses and conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease and by having multiple small stokes. Unfortunately there is no cure for these forms of dementia.
Some forms of dementia are treatable. Dementia caused by head injury, long-term substance abuse, metabolic disorders (such as a vitamin B12 deficiency) and low blood sugar are among those that can be treated and reversed. Also, behaviors associated with severe depression can mimic those of depression, and this “false dementia” is treatable.
Dementia is a very serious disorder that is affecting more and more people, especially as the baby boomer generation ages. Experts estimate that about 5-8% of adults over the age of 65 have some form of dementia. For every five years past the age of 65, the number doubles.
