Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are terms and disorders often (and confusingly) used interchangeably. This article helps to clarify the distinct differences between dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Dementia is an umbrella term
Dementia is an umbrella term used to describe the symptoms associated with brain diseases like Alzheimer’s and other conditions.
Dementia is not a disease itself. It is a group of symptoms.
Signs of dementia
A person who has dementia experiences problems with memory, thinking, or other brain functions. They may exhibit poor judgment, decreased focus or attention, and changes in language and behavior.
What causes dementia?
Alzheimer’s disease contributes to up to 70% of dementia cases¹, making it the most common and well-known cause of dementia. Other progressive neurodegenerative (nonreversible) diseases also cause dementia.
The most common of these diseases include:
Vascular dementia
Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD)
Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) or Lewy Body Dementia (LBD)
Parkinson’s disease (PD)
Less common causes of dementia include the following diseases:
Huntington’s disease (HD)
Some forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
Leukoencephalopathies
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD)
Multiple-system atrophy
Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP)
HIV/AIDs
Dementia can have other causes, These include:
Infections such as syphilis and Lyme disease
Excessive and/or chronic alcohol use
Thyroid disorder
Vitamin B12 deficiency
Changes in blood sugar
Brain injury
Brain tumors
Some brain infections
Normal pressure hydrocephalus
In some cases, the causes of dementia may be reversible. That’s why it is important to see a doctor when a person is showing signs of dementia. They can perform a diagnostic workup involving exams and tests to identify the cause of the dementia, as well as potential treatment options.
Is dementia a normal part of aging?
No. Although healthy people experience cognitive decline as they age, not every aging person experiences dementia. Dementia symptoms go beyond what is considered normal forgetfulness (such as losing keys, forgetting where you parked) and impact a person’s ability to perform normal daily life activities independently, such as bathing, dressing, and eating.
What's the difference between dementia & Alzheimer's disease?
Alzheimer’s disease is a specific brain disease that causes dementia and its associated symptoms. Alzheimer’s is a disease, whereas dementia is a symptom of the disease.
What is Alzheimer's disease?
Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disorder that causes gradual loss of memory, along with other important brain faculties, including judgment, thinking, speaking, and social skills. It’s a progressive neurodegenerative disease, meaning that people with Alzheimer’s disease lose brain cells (also known as neurons) over time as the disease develops.
The defining features of Alzheimer’s disease are the presence of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain. Amyloid plaques are formed when “sticky” pieces of protein called β-amyloid (pronounced “beta-amyloid” and often shortened to Aβ) begin forming small clumps that build up over time to create plaques. Neurofibrillary tangles are formed when abnormal changes to tau protein cause them to become “sticky” and form thread-like clumps that join together in tangles.
Scientists believe that these plaques and tangles cause damage to the neurons in the brain. When neurons are damaged, they can no longer help the brain do its job. This is what we call neurodegeneration, the process of losing neurons that makes thinking, memory, understanding language, planning, and speaking difficult.
Sources
¹ World Health Organization. (n.d.). Dementia. WHO. Retrieved March 29, 2024, Link