Dementia refers to the general terminology that defines a severe decline in cognitive function in such a way that it interferes with an individual’s daily life. Many people use the term interchangeably with Alzheimer’s disease, but to be quite precise, dementia is not a disease; however, it does refer to a collection of symptoms associated with different diseases or various conditions. The set of symptoms includes memory loss, problems with thinking, problem-solving, language, and other cognitive skills. There are different kinds of dementia, each characterized by different features and causes. This blog will answer what are the different types of dementia, details about what makes them unique and explain how they affect people and their families.
Types of Dementia Chart
Chart reference Alzheimer’s Research Uk.
The chart shows the most common and others type of dementia.
1.Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, accounting for 60–80% of all cases. It starts out slowly, with a gradual loss of memory and then declines in other cognitive skills. The hallmark of the disease includes the accumulation of amyloid plaques and tau tangles in the brain; these can potentially hinder nerve cells from communicating with each other properly and, at worst, cause cell death. There are various types of Alzheimer’s disease, such as early-onset, late-onset, familial Alzheimer’s and sporadic Alzheimer’s.
Symptoms and Progression:
Early stages: Symptoms of early stages include forgetting things, an inability to find the right words, and misjudging. One may misplace things or forget a conversation that has just taken place.
Moderate: These symptoms include more intense memory loss, confusion, disorientation, and problems recognizing familiar faces. The behavioral change may be agitation, hostility, or wandering.
Severe: In severe cases, patients cannot talk, require extensive help with daily chores and experience physical deterioration. The patient will stop walking, sitting, and, lastly, swallowing.
Risk Factors:
Age: This is most common in people over 65 years of age.
Genetic factors: positive family history and some specific genetic mutations, including APOE, increase the risk.
Lifestyle factors: Poor lifestyles can increase the risk of Alzheimer’s, such as poor cardiovascular health, a lack of exercise, a poor diet, and smoking.
2. Vascular dementia
The second most common is vascular dementia; it accounts for around 10–20% of the cases. It is brought about by a reduction in blood supply to the brain and is often the consequence of strokes or any other type of damage to the blood vessels. This therefore leads to the development of vascular dementia, which may be gradual due to many small blockages of the blood vessels or suddenly after a stroke.
Symptoms and Progression:
Initial symptoms: Confusion, inability to solve one’s problems, slow thinking, and a short attention span. Patients may experience confusion and difficulty concentrating.
Progression: Memory loss and feeling of confusion; they lose the ability to plan and organize. Drastic change in mood and behavior. The people become emotionally unstable and depressed.
Risk Factors:
Cardiovascular disease: Conditions like coronary artery disease elevate risk.
High blood pressure: Blood pressure can cause damage to the blood vessels.
Diabetes: Badly controlled diabetes might cause vascular damage.
Smoking: Increases the risk of stroke and blood vessel damage.
High cholesterol: Atherosclerosis lowers blood flow to the brain.
3. Lewy Body Dementia
Lewy body dementia is a progressive dementia characterized by the presence of abnormal protein deposits known as Lewy bodies in the brain. It consists of two related diseases: dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson’s disease dementia.
Symptoms and Course:
Early symptoms: Include visual hallucinations, sleep disruptions, and fluctuating alertness. Parkinsonian symptoms such as tremors and stiffness. Fainting spells are common, as is sensitivity to antipsychotic drugs.
Later stages: Higher-order intellectual decline, movement problems, and increased sensitivity to drugs. Memory loss and confusion increase and delusions may appear.
Risk Factors:
Age: On average, it first develops after age 50.
Gender: Slightly more common in men.
Family history: A family history of LBD or Parkinson’s disease increases the risk.
4. Frontotemporal Dementia
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a bunch of disorders that mess with your brain’s frontal and temporal lobes. People also call it frontotemporal lobar degeneration. These brain parts control stuff like how you act, who you are as a person, and how you talk. FTD happens when cells in these brain areas start dying off over time. This has an impact on how people behave and communicate.
Symptoms
Behavioral variant: BvFTD causes personality shifts and odd social actions. People with bvFTD often act without thinking, or seem distant. They might lose their ability to care about others or show little interest in things.
Primary Progressive Aphasia: PPA affects how people use and understand language. It makes talking, listening, reading, and writing hard. Those with PPA speak more and have trouble grasping what others say.
Movement disorders: Motor symptoms such as muscle weakness, rigidity, poor coordination, mimicking features of Parkinson’s disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Risk Factors:
Age: Typically develops from 45 to 65 years.
Genetics: Genetic mutations in specific genes increase the risk of developing the disease, e.g., mutations in the MAPT, GRN, and C9orf72 genes.
5. Mixed Dementia
Mixed dementia refers to when more than one type of dementia affects an individual. The most common combination is Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia. This type of dementia becomes hard to diagnose because symptoms may overlap and sometimes vary.
Symptoms and Progression:
This may cause symptoms of Alzheimer’s, including memory loss and confusion. As well as vascular dementia, such as problem-solving and slower thinking. How fast the progress is and the extent of the symptoms differ enormously.
Risk Factors:
Age: Just like Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia; it is common among older people.
Cardiovascular health: Poor heart health increases a person’s chances of suffering from both types of dementias.
6. Parkinson’s Disease Dementia
PDD occurs with Parkinson’s disease, a neurodegenerative process causing motor deficits initially characterized by tremors, stiffness, and slow movement. It generally manifests later in the course of the illness.
Symptoms and Natural History:
Memory Loss: Cognitive decline, attention and concentration problems, memory loss, visual hallucinations, mood changes. Symptoms of Parkinson’s, such as tremors and rigidity of the muscles.
Risk Factors:
Age: Older age of onset of Parkinson’s disease is a risk factor.
Severity of Parkinson’s disease: The risk increases with the duration and severity of movement and coordination symptoms.
Genetics: Certain genetic mutations may have a role.
7. Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is a rare, rapidly progressive form of dementia. Caused by infectious proteins called prions. It causes extreme damage to your brain and it is deadly.
Symptoms and Progression
Rapidly progressive memory loss, behavioral change, muscular stiffness and chorea. The disease progresses very fast and the patient usually becomes either severely handicapped or dies within a year.
Risk Factors:
Infected tissue: Use of contaminated medical instruments.
Genetic mutations: Familial CJD is caused by inherited mutations in the prion protein gene.
8. Huntington’s Disease
Huntington’s disease is a purely genetic disorder that causes the progressive, uncontrollable degeneration of nerve cells in the brain. It is characterized by motor and cognitive decline.
Symptoms and Natural History:
Early symptoms: Mood swings, depression, irritability, and an inability to concentrate.
Progression: Involuntary chorea, dysarthria, dysphagia, dementia. Over time, people lose their ability to walk, talk, and eat.
Risk Factors:
Inherited gene mutation: Huntington’s disease is caused by a mutation in the HTT gene. It has autosomal dominance.
9. Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome
Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome is a type of dementia caused by a severe deficiency of thiamine and is thus generally seen in those with alcohol abuse disorders. It comprises two related disorders: Wernicke’s encephalopathy and Korsakoff syndrome.
Symptoms and Course
Wernicke’s encephalopathy: Confusion, loss of coordination, and disabilities in eye movement. If untreated, it progresses to Korsakoff syndrome.
Korsakoff syndrome: Severe loss of memory, confabulation, difficulty in forming new memories (anterograde amnesia). Long-term memory is relatively better preserved than short-term memory.
Risk Factors:
Chronic alcohol abuse: It is the most common cause due to malnutrition and poor absorption of thiamine.
Malnutrition: A severe lack of nutrients.
Malabsorption: A Gastrointestinal disorder or conditions causing severe vomiting.
10. Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus
Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) is a condition caused by an accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain’s ventricles, leading to increased pressure. It can cause dementia-like symptoms.
Symptoms and Course:
Problems in walking, urinary incontinence, cognitive decline like memory loss, confusion, etc. It presents with symptoms similar to those experienced in dementia, but there can be improvement following surgical intervention by shunt placement, which drains of excess fluid.
Risk Factors:
Age: This is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly.
Brain conditions: Head injury or surgery to the brain.
Conclusion
There are many types of Dementia. Different dementias present unique challenges when doctors diagnose and manage them. People need to know about the different types of dementia. This knowledge helps provide good care and support to patients and their families. Doctors can detect dementia now. People can change their lifestyle to help prevent it. Medical research is making progress. These factors give hope for better treatments. They also improve the quality of life for dementia patients. We keep learning about what causes dementia and how it progresses. This knowledge brings us closer to finding good treatments. It may even lead to a cure one day. Deter Dementia is always there to help you fight with it.
