The words “Alzheimer’s” and “Dementia” are often spoken of, even by medical professionals, as though they are essentially the same thing. The truth is that both diseases are poorly understood, and the symptoms are similar enough to make them easily confused, even by doctors.The confusion is easy to understand, and dementia and Alzheimer’s may look identical at first.
They both include symptoms such as impaired cognition, communication, and motor function, and they both are more likely to affect older adults, although they can occur in younger patients as well.
However, they also have significant differences that are important to understand, especially if you have a loved one who has or may have one or the other.
Is Alzheimer’s a Form of Dementia?
Alzheimer’s disease is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior. Symptoms usually develop slowly and get worse over time, becoming severe enough to interfere with daily tasks.
What is Alzheimer’s Disease?
Alzheimer’s is a type of dementia that affects memory, thinking and behavior. Symptoms eventually grow severe enough to interfere with daily tasks.
Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia, a general term for memory loss and other cognitive abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 60-80% of dementia cases.
Unlike some other forms of dementia, Alzheimer’s is not curable, and the damage it causes is permanent. One symptom of the disease involves abnormal protein deposits in the brain, which cause hardened plaques and tangled nerves. This disrupts brain functioning, and can even cause the brain to shrink in severe cases.
Doctors can tell whether patients have Alzheimer’s disease or another type of dementia by using a series of screenings, including brain scans, blood tests, and evaluations of the patient’s mental functioning.
However, no test is completely accurate except a manual check for abnormal protein deposits in the brain, which can only occur during an autopsy after death. Approximately 90% of diagnostic tests outside of an autopsy are accurate.
