The Different Types of Dementia

When people hear the word dementia, they almost instantly think of Alzheimer’s. However, there are several different types of dementia. Knowing the difference means knowing what to expect, and getting the right treatment when available. Here are the most common types of dementia apart from Alzheimer’s.

Vascular Dementia

Vascular dementia accounts for about 10 percent of dementia cases and is the result of problems with the blood vessels which supply the brain. It often develops after the person has had a stroke. A person with vascular dementia will not have the degree of memory loss of a person with Alzheimer’s, but they will have trouble thinking, planning and organizing.

The course of the illness is unpredictable, because the location, number and size of the brain injuries from one or more strokes will determine whether dementia will result, and how the individual’s thinking and physical function will be affected.

Mixed Dementia

A person can have brain changes resulting from more than one cause, such as vascular dementia and Parkinson’s. In this case, they are said to have mixed dementia. This is most likely in people over 85.

Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB)

Lewy bodies are clumps of a particular protein that can clog the cerebral cortex and affect memory and thinking problems. People with this condition often have trouble sleeping and visual hallucinations. They sometimes exhibit similar symptoms to those with Parkinson’s disease. The symptoms/course of the disease will vary depending on the movement of the Lewy bodies. This can result in many normal moments and then sudden declines into dementia.

Parkinson’s Disease

As Parkinson’s disease progresses, it often results in dementia similar to dementia with Lewy bodies, or Alzheimer’s. The main symptoms are problems with movement, such as slowness, rigidity, tremor and changes in gait and tremor (the shakes). With Parkinson’s, Lewy bodies form in an area deep in the brain called the substantia nigra. They cause degeneration of the nerve cells that produce dopamine, an essential neurotransmitter or chemical which controls movement.

The boxer Muhammad Ali developed Parkinson’s after his sports career and lived with it for many years. The actor Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with it at a very young age, but lifestyle strategies and medication help him keep working.

Frontotemporal Lobal Degeneration (FTLD)

This dementia affects the frontotemporal area of the brain and results in changes in personality and behavior, as well as difficulty with language. Nerve cells in the front and side regions of the brain are especially affected. It tends to affect people at a younger age: 60% of people with FTLD are aged 45 to 60. It accounts for about 10 percent of all dementia cases.

Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

CJD is the most common human form of a group of rare, fatal brain disorders affecting people and certain other mammals. It is often referred to as “mad cow disease” and is thought to result from eating animal products from infected cows. It is a fatal disease that impairs memory and coordination and causes behavior changes as the proteins in the brain all start to malfunction.

Huntington’s Disease

Huntington’s disease is a progressive brain disorder caused by a single defective gene on chromosome 4. Symptoms include tremor and jerking, a severe decline in thinking and reasoning skills, and irritability, depression, and other mood changes. The symptoms will get worse over time as more of the proteins in the brain are affected.

Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome

This syndrome is a chronic memory disorder caused by severe deficiency of thiamine (vitamin B1), usually the result of chronic alcoholism. Symptoms include a very bad memory, though otherwise the person’s thinking will seem normal. Getting more B1 and cutting back on alcohol should restore the natural balance in the brain.

As you can see, there are many different types of dementia and a medical professional will be able to diagnose which type a person suffers from.