Dementia is a set of symptoms which includes loss of memory, understanding & judgment.
There are many different types of dementia and these are some examples:
Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, accounting for approximately 64% of cases. It has a gradual onset and progression & there are several changes occuring in the brain. Symptoms include memory loss that affects day-to-day functioning, difficulty performing familiar tasks, problems with language, disorientation of time and place, poor or decreased judgment, problems with abstract thinking, misplacing things, changes in mood and behaviour, changes in personality and loss of initiative.
Frontotemporal Dementia
Frontotemporal Dementia is a disorder that primarily affects the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. The changes in the brain often lead to changes in personality, behaviour and problems with speech in the early stages. It is estimated that approximately 2% of all dementia cases are Frontotemporal Dementia.
Lewy Body Dementia
In Lewy body Dementia, a person may experience symptoms similar to those of Parkinson’s disease such as rigidity, tremors, stooped posture and slow shuffling movements along with Alzheimer’s disease symptoms such as loss of memory and language and reasoning issues. Marked fluctuations in alertness may also be experienced and memory difficulties may not be an early symptom, but can develop as it progresses. Visual hallucinations (seeing things which are not real) are common and can worsen during times of increased confusion. It accounts for 15-20% of all dementias.
Vascular Dementia
Vascular Dementia, also called Multi-Infarct Dementia, occurs when the cells in the brain are deprived of oxygen. Vascular Dementia usually has a sudden onset and is often caused by a stroke. Function can deteriorate, stabilize for a time and then deteriorate again. After Alzheimer’s disease, Vascular Dementia is the second leading cause of dementia (about 20% of cases).
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) is a rare, rapid form of dementia. Classical CJD (also called sporadic CJD) occurs at random. Variant CJD is a disease linked to eating beef products from cattle infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) or “Mad Cow” disease. It often takes years or even decades after infection before someone with CJD develops signs and symptoms and then onset and progression is rapid.