Types and Causes of Dementia

Dementia is a general term for a decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with daily life. It is not a specific disease but rather a group of conditions characterised by impairment of at least two brain functions, such as memory loss and judgement.
Types of dementia include Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, and Frontotemporal dementia:
- Alzheimer’s Disease: This is the most common type of dementia, responsible for 60%-80% of cases. It is caused by changes in the brain, including the build-up of plaques and tangles of proteins.
- Vascular Dementia: Accounting for roughly 10% of dementia cases, this type of dementia is often due to brain damage from cerebrovascular or cardiovascular problems like strokes.
- Lewy Body Dementia: This type of dementia involves deposits of a type of protein in the brain. These deposits, called Lewy bodies, affect chemicals in the brain and lead to problems with thinking, behaviour, mood, and movement.
- Frontotemporal Dementia: This is a diverse group of disorders characterised by the progressive degeneration of the frontal or temporal lobes of the brain, which leads to behaviour and personality changes, language difficulties, and some types of memory disorders.
Other less common types of dementia can include Parkinson’s disease dementia, young-onset dementia, and others depending on specific symptoms and syndromes.
Causes of dementia can also include brain injury, stroke, and other diseases such as Huntington’s disease. However, the principal cause is damage to the brain cells, and the connection between the brain cells gets disrupted due to which the cells cannot communicate with each other, leading to memory failure, mood changes, and difficulty with communication and reasoning.
Factors that increase the risk of dementia include age, family history, heavy drinking, smoking, hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol.
Remember that early diagnosis and empathy are crucial for dementia care. Recognizing the symptoms and understanding the person’s experience can significantly improve the caregiving process.
There’s currently no cure for most types of dementia, but there are treatments that can slow the progress and manage the symptoms, such as medications, cognitive-training, and activities. Normally, it’s best to adopt a person-centred approach when caring for individuals with dementia.