What's the difference between Alzeimers and Dementia?

Question

Why is Alzheimers terminal

Answer 1

Hi, Alzheimer's is a more aggressive form of dementia, Alzheimer's is also a terminal illness.

Answer 2

What's the difference between dementia and Alzheimer's?"


It's a common question, and doctors are some of the best at confusing us. Physicians seem to prefer the word "dementia" - maybe because Alzheimer's has become such a loaded word. "Dementia" somehow sounds less frightening to many people, and now even the experts have started using the words interchangeably.

They aren't interchangeable. Alzheimer's and dementia are two very different things.

Dementia is a symptom. Pain is a symptom, and many different injuries and illnesses can cause pain. When you go to the doctor because you hurt, you won't be satisfied if the doctor diagnoses "pain" and sends you home. You want to know what is causing the pain, and how to treat it.



"Dementia" simply means the symptom of a deterioration of intellectual abilities resulting from an unspecified disease or disorder of the brain.



Alzheimer's Disease is one disease/disorder that causes dementia. Many other illnesses or "syndromes" can also cause dementia. Parkinson's Disease can cause dementia. A stroke can cause dementia. Even dehydration can cause dementia.



Many of the things that can cause dementia are treatable, even potentially curable.


If you have taken your elder to the doctor and received a diagnosis of "dementia" you haven't received a diagnosis at all. Unless you know what is causing the dementia you can't begin to treat it's root cause.



If your physician has diagnosed "dementia" it's time for a second opinion. You are probably dealing with a physician who is either not comfortable with the truth, or who doesn't know how (or doesn't want to bother) to differentiate between all the possible causes of dementia. Either way, a skilled geriatrician or a neurologist who is comfortable with seniors would be a good bet.

Answer 3

Dementia is a general term for the loss of memory/function. There are about 200 different types. Alzheimer's is the most common one. There is no cure for Alzheimer's, but with early diagnosis and correct medication (Aricept usually) the symptoms can be halted/slowed down.

Look on the net for specific details.

Answer 4

Dementia is a neurological disorder that affects your ability to think, speak, reason, remember and move. While Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia, many other conditions also can cause similar symptoms. Some of these disorders get worse with time and cannot be cured. Other types respond so well to treatment, their symptoms may even be reversed.
Read more @ http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/dementia/AZ00003

Answer 5

Dementia capacity insanity with loss of powers of thinking using techniques disease or injury on a similar time as Alzheimer's that's the in many cases elementary style of dementia. it quite is incurable degenerative and terminal disease. the main ordinarily known symptom is lack of ability to acquire new techniques including perplexing in recalling stated fact.

Answer 6

Dementia is a generic term that covers a range of illnesses & conditions that all have symptoms which result in reduction in mental ability, some causes of dementia my be reverseable, e.g. those cause by vitamin deficiencies

Alzheimers is a specifc condition that produces the symptom of dementia, it is a disease that gets progressively worse until the patient dies and is caused by specific changes which occur within the brain.

Answer 7

Just speaking as a layperson who's worked in retirement homes, Alzheimer's is dementia carried to an extreme.

Answer 8

In Alzeimers a person forgets current information,such as what happened yesterday.They seem to remember stuff from years ago like it was yestertday.For instance my grandmother who had early signs of it,thought that i was my mother at times,because I look just like her.She had no memory of me,except as a baby,and would call me by my mother's name.My mother had died many years earlier.On her good days,she never who I was.I've heard Dementia is a state of mind,once a person has gone completely off the deep end of reality.Hope this helps.

Answer 9

Alzeimers is a more agressive form of dementia. It deteriorates the memory quicker than the common form of dementia.

Answer 10

dementia is an umbrella term. there are many different types of dementia, Alzheimers being the most well known.