Most types of dementia are nonreversible (degenerative). Nonreversible means the changes in the brain that are causing the dementia cannot be stopped or turned back. Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia.
Lewy body disease is a leading cause of dementia in elderly adults. People with this condition have abnormal protein structures in certain areas of the brain.
Dementia also can be due to many small strokes. This is called vascular dementia.
The following medical conditions also can lead to dementia:
Dementia usually occurs in older age. It is rare in people under age 60. The risk for dementia increases as a person gets older.
Symptoms
Dementia symptoms include difficulty with many areas of mental function, including:
Language
Memory
Perception
Emotional behavior or personality
Cognitive skills (such as calculation, abstract thinking, or judgment)
Dementia usually first appears as forgetfulness.
Mild cognitive impairment is the stage between normal forgetfulness due to aging and the development of dementia. People with MCI have mild problems with thinking and memory that do not interfere with everyday activities.
Alzheimer's disease (1 image)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Dementia is a loss of brain function that occurs with certain diseases. Alzheimer's disease (AD), is one form of dementia that gradually gets worse over time. It affects memory, thinking, and behavior. Memory impairment, as well as problems with l...Reviewer: Daniel B. Hoch, PhD, MD, Assistant Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 08/29/2009
Multi-infarct dementia (1 image)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Multi-infarct dementia (MID) is a form of vascular dementia - damage in mental function caused by strokes.Reviewer: Luc Jasmin, MD, PhD, Departments of Anatomy & Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 02/13/2008
Dementia due to metabolic causes (1 image)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Dementia due to metabolic causes is a loss of mental function that can occur with diabetes, thyroid disease, and other metabolic disorders.Reviewer: Luc Jasmin, MD, PhD, Departments of Anatomy & Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 02/13/2008
Progressive supranuclear palsy (1 image)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Progressive supranuclear palsy is a movement disorder caused by damage to certain nerve cells in the brain.Reviewer: Daniel Kantor, MD, Director of the Comprehensive MS Center, Neuroscience Institute, University of Florida Health Science Center, Jacksonville, FL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 02/06/2008
Pick's disease (1 image)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Pick's disease is a rare and permanent form of dementia that is similar to Alzheimer's disease, except that it tends to affect only certain areas of the brain.Reviewer: Daniel Kantor, MD, Director of the Comprehensive MS Center, Neuroscience Institute, University of Florida Health Science Center, Jacksonville, FL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 02/06/2008
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