My mother has vascular dementia does anybody know what the difference is between this and alzheimers?

Answer 1

Not much difference, dementia usually caused by a stroke, after that there are small mini strokes occur called t i a feel free to mail me if you need any support.

Answer 2

Vascular dementia happens when blood clots in the brain or strokes or diseases of the small blood vessels cause some brains cells to be destroyed. It is the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer's. Alzheimer's has a different cause, part of which seems to be related to a build up of what is called "senile plaques" in the brain and also because of what is described as "abnormal fibers that appear to be tangles of brain tissue filaments". Both types of dementia cause some similar symptoms, with some different ones.

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Answer 3

Vascular dementia is the broad term for dementia associated with problems of the circulation of blood to the brain.

It also called "multi-infarct dementia" is the most common subtype under "Dementias Caused by Other Medical Conditions" in the DSM-IV system. It is the result of emboli (obstructions to blood flow) in the brain; the most common emboli are blood clots. These produce what would be commonly referred to as "strokes," if they occurred on a detectable scale. The emboli cause a destruction of brain tissue in areas where the blood supply to brain cells is interrupted. High blood pressure increases the probability that emboli will develop; hence control of blood pressure probably helps to prevent vascular dementia.

Vascular dementia is due to the accumulation of multiple strokes in the brain. The strokes may not be obvious; they may only be detected by a brain image such as MRI or CT scan. The strokes usually are small, and accumulate in the white matter below the surface of the brain. This white matter is named so because it contains a white substance called myelin that insulates the nerve fibers interconnecting different brain regions. Hence, vascular dementia produces disconnections between different brain regions, resulting in a progressive decline of the affected brain functions. Vascular dementia often preferentially affects the frontal lobe, producing symptoms mediated by the frontal lobe including depression, poor judgment, reduction in speech, attention problems, difficulty shifting between tasks, and difficulty performing complex tasks.

Answer 4

The main difference between Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia appears to be the way in which symptoms begin and progress. Since a common cause of vascular dementia is stroke, specific symptoms often begin quite suddenly but then the person may stabilise for a period. However, another stroke may cause a sudden deterioration in some abilities. People with Alzheimer's disease on the other hand, tend to experience a more consistent rate of decline in all cognitive abilities.

The early symptoms of vascular dementia are often slightly different to those of Alzheimer's disease and depend on the area of the brain damaged by vascular disease (stroke is a type of vascular disease).

Multi-infarct dementia is a type of vascular dementia caused by a series of small strokes. Each stroke in itself may not be noticeable but can cause lightheadedness, temporary blindness or weakness in the arms or legs. However, a build up of damage in the brain may start to cause symptoms of dementia such as memory impairment and difficulty solving problems.

Vascular dementia may also be caused by a single larger stroke and in this case, symptoms are more obvious eg, speech difficulties or paralysis of one or more limbs together with cognitive impairments.

Very often people with vascular dementia maintain their personality and retain some abilities until the later stages of the disease. This is different for those with Alzheimer's who are likely to experience a decline in all abilities. This is because vascular dementia can affect distinct parts of the brain whereas Alzheimer's disease affects the entire brain.

Having said all this, the symptoms may be difficult to differentiate in many cases since it has been suggested that a large proportion of people with Alzheimer's disease also have cerebrovascular disease, i.e. 'mixed dementia'. At the moment, there are drugs such as Aricept that are used to treat Alzheimer's Disease however, there has been limited research into the effectiveness of drug treatments for vascular dementia. However, in the case of a dual diagnosis, Aricept might be useful in treating some of the symptoms associated with the Alzheimer's disease.

Answer 5

Vascular dementia happens when you have a vascular event in your brain, a version of a stroke, and as each one occurs, the dementia gets a little, or sometimes a lot, worse. Alzheimers doesn't have this premeditating occurrence, it is something that just gets gradually worse over time.

Answer 6

Vascular Dementia is the normal aging of the brain - just like a body ages - so does the brain and they slowly & sometimes fast (but normally slow) forget memory, people, etc. It's just the normal aging of the brain.
Alzheimer's is a degeration of the brain - sometimes' people can live for years and sometimes they can degeneration very rapidly and pass away soon. I don't mean to be so blunt but that's the facts. There is things an Alzheimer's patient can do to help the progress of the deterization slow - check into it, please.

Answer 7

Vascular dementia is caused by a stroke or some other blood-related event (clot, aneurysm). I don't believe it gets worse. I believe it is also very localized to one spot in the brain.

Alzheimer's is caused by a build-up of plaque in the brain which causes a domino-effect of brain cell death, through the whole brain. It doesn't get better. It doesn't stop.

Answer 8

by definitions it is also known as multi infacrt dementia, for all practical resons, they are the same, all the best, there are a few medicines that offer some help. feel free to email me with questions

Answer 9

Arteriosclerosis with multiple infarcts as opposed to a cellular degenerative change in Altzheimers.

Answer 10

Your mom is old. Put her out of her misery now and be done with it!