
24/09/2025
🧠 Dementia
Definition: Dementia is a general term for a decline in mental ability that is severe enough to interfere with daily life.
Causes: It can be caused by various conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia (due to strokes), Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementia, Parkinson’s disease, etc.
Symptoms:
Memory loss
Difficulty with thinking, problem-solving, or language
Changes in mood, personality, or behavior
Confusion about time/place
Key Point: Dementia is a syndrome (set of symptoms), not a single disease.
🧩 Alzheimer’s Disease
Definition: Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia, accounting for 60–80% of cases.
Nature: It is a progressive, degenerative brain disorder.
Cause: Abnormal build-up of proteins in and around brain cells (amyloid plaques and tau tangles) leading to cell damage and death.
Symptoms (progressive over time):
Early: Short-term memory loss, repeating questions, misplacing things
Middle: Trouble recognizing family, difficulty with language, confusion, personality changes
Late: Loss of ability to communicate, walk, or eat independently
Risk Factors: Age (65+), family history, genetics, head injury, cardiovascular risks.
✅ In short:
Dementia = umbrella term for cognitive decline.
Alzheimer’s disease = most common cause of dementia.