Dementia is the severe loss of mental functions (thinking, memory and reasoning) that interferes with an individual's daily life, according to the Cleveland Clinic. The Cleveland Clinic states dementia is not a disease; rather it's a group of symptoms that are usually accompanied with other diseases or conditions. Dementia develops when the brain is affected from these diseases or conditions. The most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer's disease, but other common causes include vascular damage, alcohol and degeneration of nerve cells.
Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer's disease is a neurological disease that accounts for approximately 50 to 70 percent of all dementia cases, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Alzheimer's is a form of cortical-dementia, in which the cerebral cortex of the brain is affected. The cerebral cortex is the outermost layer of the brain and has control over cognitive functions such as memory and language. The Cleveland Clinic states cortical-dementia patients have severe memory impairment and aphasia, the inability to recall words and understand common language.
Vascular Dementia
Vascular dementia is considered the second most common type of dementia, according to the Alzheimer's Association. The Mayo Clinic states it occurs in approximately 1 to 4 percent of people over the age of 65 years. The Alzheimer's Association describes vascular dementia as an impairment of cognitive function due to impaired blood flow to parts of the brain. When a reduced amount of blood goes to the brain, it deprives the brain cells of nourishment and oxygen, causing strokes.
Strokes are the main cause for vascular dementia to develop. The Mayo Clinic states the development of vascular dementia depends on the severity of the stroke, where the stroke occurred and the portion of the brain affected. Vascular dementia typically develops slowly after stroke and does not cause major symptoms initially, but impaired function will become noticeable over time, according to the Alzheimer's Association.
Alcohol-induced Dementia
Alcohol-induced dementia is the third most common type of dementia and involves intellectual loss in the elderly, according to the Alzheimer's Association. The Alzheimer's Association describes alcohol-induced dementia as brain damage due to a long-term history of heavy drinking that directly damaged brain cells. The Alzheimer's Association continues by saying alcohol abuse is common in the elderly with approximately 8 percent of the population having a serious drinking problem.
Physicians often overlook alcohol-related dementia because they do not recognize their patient's alcohol abuse problems. Alcohol-induced dementia causes patients to develop memory problems, language impairment and problematic complex motor task functioning (i.e. dressing), according to the Alzheimer's Association.
Dementia with Lewy bodies
Dementia with Lewy bodies is caused by the degeneration and death of nerve cells in the brain, according to Alzheimer's Australia. Alzheimer's Australia states abnormal spherical structures (Lewy bodies) develop within the nerve cells. There is currently no known cause of it, but dementia with Lewy bodies can occur with or without Alzheimer's disease and/or vascular dementia.
Individuals who have dementia with Lewy bodies typically have difficulty concentrating, experience extreme confusion and are at high risk for falls. An individual is diagnosed with Lewy bodies dementia if they have two of the following; visual hallucinations, Parkinsonism (tremors or stiffness) or mental state fluctuations (clear to confused over minutes to hours).
