Dementia is a term that describes a group of symptoms that affect memory, personality, and cognitive functions as a result of damage to the nerve cells in the brain. The potential causes of this damage include a variety of diseases and conditions, ranging in severity and treatability. Here is a look at some of the most common ones.
Alzheimer's Disease
The most common cause for dementia in people aged 65 and older is Alzheimer’s disease. This is a progressive condition, meaning that it worsens over time. This disease is caused by plaques and tangles in the brain, which are abnormal structures that can damage and kill nerve cells. The risk for Alzheimer’s increases if a person has family members who have the disease as well.
Heart Problems
Vascular dementia, another common form of the condition, is caused by a stroke or a blockage of blood supply to the brain because of a heart problem. High blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking all increase the risk for developing a form of vascular dementia. This is also a progressive disease, so it cannot be cured or reversed.
Lewy Bodies
Lewy bodies are another progressive condition that can lead to dementia. These are protein deposits that develop in the nerve cells near regions of the brain that are involved in thinking, memory, and motor skills.
Brain Damage
Frontotemporal dementia encompasses a diverse group of uncommon disorders that affect the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. This form of dementia tends to occur at a younger age than other forms of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s, with some patients showing symptoms as young as 40.
Alcoholism
Another less common cause of dementia is alcoholism, which can lead to a condition known as Korsakoff syndrome. This can cause neurological damage, which may lead to impaired mental processes, including dementia.
Traumatic Head Injuries
Traumatic head injuries can also cause some forms of dementia, ranging from mild to severe. Repetitive head trauma is commonly experienced in professions such as boxing, football, and the military. Symptoms might not appear until several years after the trauma occurs, and they will vary depending on where the injury is located, as well as how severe the injury is. Sometimes even a single traumatic head injury, such as from a car accident, can lead to post-traumatic dementia.
Other Disorders
There are other disorders that commonly present progressive dementia as a symptom, such as Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Additionally, there are some causes of the condition that are able to be reversed if they are diagnosed and treated correctly. These conditions include nutritional deficiencies, reactions to certain medications, metabolic problems, infections, endocrine abnormalities, immune system disorders, subdural hematomas, anoxia, poisoning, and brain tumors.
