We often hear that Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are medical conditions for old people.  In a way, it is partly true; most of the sufferers of these illnesses are in their later age.  However, it is not part of the aging process, and the two illnesses are not the same.  Since they are closely related with each other, people get confused and used the medical terms interchangeably.  Even some medical practitioners are guilty of misusing these terms.

To shed some light, let us begin by explaining the difference between Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.  Dementia is a set of symptoms a person has.  Its symptoms cause by a disease or disorder of the brain leading to a deterioration of intellectual abilities.  Many other conditions can result to dementia symptoms like Parkinson’s disease, Lewy body dementia, Creutzfeldt-Jacob Dementia (CJD), Mixed Dementia, Huntington’s Disease and Vascular Dementia, just to name a few.

On the other hand, Alzheimer’s disease is a specific disease, and the most common form of dementia.  Almost 70% of patient with dementia are of Alzheimer’s type.  Statistically, the possibility of having this condition increases after the age of 70 and may affect almost 50% of people after the age of 85.  This illness is a deterioration of the brain wherein some cells formed plaques and tangles leading to brain malfunction.  As a result, memory is affected, and problems with behavior and thinking occurred.  The brain function will not be affected with just 1 or 2 plaques; it takes an abnormal amount of plaques for it to qualify for Alzheimer’s disease.  Unfortunately, it is only thorough microscopic examination of brain tissue that plaques can be seen.  For that reason, a person can only be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s when he/she is dead, and an autopsy is done.  That is why, most patient are diagnosed as possible Alzheimer’s disease only.

Both Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease exhibit almost similar signs especially in the early stages of the illness.  Alarming signs and symptoms of possible Alzheimer or other forms of dementia include:

1. Memory loss.  For patient with Alzheimer’s disease short term memory is first affected.  They can remember events that had happened years ago, but forget the information learned few minutes ago.
2. People with dementia forget how certain tasks they’ve done before, like grooming and doing household chores.
3. Problem with language
4. Disorientation to place and time
5. Difficulty in solving problems, particularly abstract thinking
6. Misplacing of things
7. Changes in personality
8. Losing track of everyday events

Fast facts about these medical conditions:  Not all dementia are Alzheimer’s disease but Alzheimer’s disease is always a form of dementia. If you have a family member with Dementia than it is important to read more about coping with dementia. Visit our website to get informed.

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