Difference Between Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease

Dementia vs. Alzheimer’s Disease: Key Differences Explained

People often get confused between Dementia and Alzheimer's. However, they are vastly different. Dementia refers to a gradual decline in memory, communication abilities, and daily activities. On the other hand, Alzheimer's disease is a more common type of dementia. Read on to discover more about the differences between them.

What is Dementia?

Dementia refers to a general loss of language, memory, problem-solving, and other kinds of thinking abilities. They are severe and interfere with the affected person's daily life. Alzheimer's is considered to be the most common cause of dementia.

What is Alzheimer's?

Alzheimer's refers to a dementia that affects the thinking, memory, and behaviour of a person. Generally, the symptoms of it grow severe enough to interfere with a person’s daily life.

Comparison Table Between Dementia and Alzheimer's

Here is a list of some noticeable differences between dementia and alzheimer's:

Parameters	Dementia	Alzheimer’s Disease
Cause	Age, genetics, and lifestyle	Neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid plaques in the brain
Symptoms	Memory loss, trouble with spatial and visual abilities	Memory loss, difficulty with speech
Impact on the Brain	Actively impairs cognitive functions	Affects memory during its early stages; impairs other cognitive functions in later stages
Treatment	Slowing down the progression of the disease	Medications and therapy
Progression	Differs based on underlying causes	Gradual progression over months and years

Common Types of Dementia

Here is an overview of some of the common types of dementia that affect individuals:

Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's is considered to be the most common type of dementia. A few symptoms of it include memory, language, thinking, and problem-solving impairment.

Frontotemporal Dementia

It is more of a rare type of dementia and is also known as 'Pick's disease'. A few early symptoms of it are personality and behaviour changes, speech impairment, etc.

Mixed Dementia

It is the most common type of dementia and is a mix of Alzheimer's and Vascular dementia. Other kinds of dementia combinations which get categorised as this are Dementia with Lewy bodies.

Vascular Dementia

It is referred to as the second most common type of dementia. A few common early signs include problems with concentrating and planning capabilities, including short and sudden periods of confusion.

Lewy Body Dementia

Having Lewy bodies causes a vast range of symptoms, including delusions, inability to stay focused and problems with sleep and movement.

Common Types of Alzheimer's

Here is a list of two of the most common types of alzheimer's disease:

Early Onset Alzheimer

It happens primarily to people who are younger than the age of 65. This type of Alzheimer's affects people who are in their 40s and 50s.

Late Onset Alzheimer

It is the most common form of Alzheimer's that happens to people who are 65 years and older. This condition may or may not be passed on due to genetics. Researchers have not found a cure for it yet.

By knowing the distinction between dementia and Alzheimer's, one can get a better understanding of their treatment planning and care. This is helpful for the affected individual and their families.