What’s The Difference Between Alzheimers & Dementia
It is a mistake to consider ‘Dementia’ and ‘Alzheimer’s Disease’ to be the same thing but there are some technical differences. In fact it is widely believed that they are the same as these two terms are often substituted for the other and mostly by the ones who consider ‘Alzheimer’s’ to be a stigmatizing word. Basically Dementia is not a disease but a set of symptoms like memory loss, changes in abstract reasoning and attention that signify the deterioration of the brain. Alzheimer’s disease is only the most common cause of Dementia.
The Fischer Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation has stated that about 5 million Americans, which are ten percent of the American population who are over 65 years of age, suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. Yet most of the people are unaware of its symptoms and the reasons behind it. Often people are confused with the difference between Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Even though these two terms are closely related, they are not at all synonymous and thus people remain ignorant of the reasons behind them.
• Reasons for considering Alzheimer’s disease and Dementia to be the same – Sometimes these two terms are interlinked and believed to be the same because Alzheimer’s disease causes 50% -70% of dementia cases, as stated by the Fischer Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation. But dementia can also be caused due to many other diseases such as Creutzfeldt – Jakob disease, Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease or Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome.
• Difference between Alzheimer’s and dementia – There is a very basic difference between the two terms that very clearly distinguishes them. Dementia is a brain dysfunction that causes memory loss and harms the thinking abilities and thus the person suffering from it cannot continue with his or her daily activities. Whereas Alzheimer’s disease is only a common cause of dementia which is generally present among older people. Thus these two terms are often confused due to their similarities but actually there are also other causes of dementia. It is sometimes complicated to differentiate between these terms because simple definitions cannot explain the various kinds of effects a certain disease has on different people.
• Symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease – This disease has different effects on different people but all the effects are related and can be recognized in most cases. It starts off with memory loss and this hampers your life, relationship and career in a major way. You will tend to forget the simplest things like where you left your briefcase, wallet, keys, etc. It tends to grow and creates problems gradually and you will not even be aware of it. You will not believe the people around you who informs you of the disease and moreover, you will be suspicious of them thinking that they are trying to trick you. It is very difficult to cope with this disease that makes the simplest thing in your life complicated.
• Reasons for dementia – Dementia is caused due to various diseases and disorders that include Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Creutzfeldt – Jakob disease, Huntington’s disease, Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome, Strokes and even Dehydration. Most of these cases can be treated and be cured as well.
If you have older people in your home who might be suffering from such cases then you should take them to the doctor immediately and also refer to opinions of more than one doctor, preferably skilled geriatricians or neurologists who have that experience after treating older people for several years. Remember that Dementia cannot be treated unless you are aware of its root cause and thus you should refer to other doctors when someone is diagnosed with it in order to start treatment from the root cause of it.