Understanding the Different Types of Dementia
Dementia affects millions of people around the world. In fact, according to the World Health Organization, a new case of dementia is diagnosed every four seconds adding up to roughly 7.7 million new cases of dementia each year. The startling statistics also indicate that the number of people diagnosed with dementia will increase to 75.6 million people by 2030 and then jump to 135.5 million by 2050.
With numbers such as these it’s important that we begin to understand just what dementia is, including the different types.
What is dementia?
Many people confuse dementia with Alzheimer’s disease. In actuality, the two are not interchangeable. People with Alzheimer’s disease will also have dementia, but people diagnosed with dementia do not necessarily have Alzheimer’s disease. As defined by the Alzheimer’s Association, “Dementia is a general term for loss of memory and other mental abilities severe enough to interfere with daily life. It is caused by physical changes in the brain.”
What are the different types of dementia?
There are 10 different types of dementia, the most common of which is Alzheimer’s disease. This disease represents about 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases.
Other types of dementia include:
- Vascular dementia
- Dementia with Lewy bodies or DLB
- Mixed dementia
- Parkinson’s disease
- Frontotemporal disease
- Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
- Normal pressure hydrocephalus
- Huntington’s diease
- Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome
Each of these diseases is marked by different symptoms and also different changes in the brain. When a loved one is diagnosed with dementia, it can be scary and stressful. Luckily, there are many options available to help you care for them such as at-home nursing care and companion services. Contact us if you would like to learn more about how these services work. We will be happy to visit your home to do an on-site consultation for free.
References:
WHO | 10 facts on dementia. (n.d.). Retrieved October 21, 2016, from http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/dementia/en/
Types of Dementia – Alzheimer’s Association. (n.d.). Retrieved October 21, 2016, from http://www.alz.org/dementia/types-of-dementia.asp
