Jun 19, 2025
Aarushi BhaduryIt covers a group of symptoms like memory loss, reasoning problems, and behavioral changes. These symptoms are always caused by specific underlying diseases affecting the brain, not just normal aging.
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Some memory slips are normal with age. Dementia, however, is a serious condition characterized by a significant decline in mental abilities, driven by an underlying progressive brain disease that gets worse over time.
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This specific brain disease is responsible for the majority of dementia cases, accounting for 60-80% of all diagnoses. This makes Alzheimer's the most common reason people experience dementia symptoms.
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Dementia can also be caused by various other conditions besides Alzheimer's. These include Frontotemporal degeneration, Lewy Body disease, and Vascular disease, each affecting the brain differently to produce dementia symptoms.
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Sometimes, a person's brain can show changes from more than one type of dementia simultaneously. This "mixed dementia" means different diseases are affecting the brain at the same time, leading to a complex set of symptoms.
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It's crucial to understand that dementia is caused by actual damage to brain cells. This damage stops brain cells from communicating properly, directly affecting a person's thinking, behavior, and feelings, beyond typical age-related changes.
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Unlike the general term "dementia," Alzheimer's is a specific, progressive disease that leads to gradually worsening dementia symptoms. It involves complex brain changes and cell damage that advance over time, impairing brain function.
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The very first sign of Alzheimer's often involves trouble remembering new information. This is because the disease commonly starts by affecting the parts of the brain most involved in learning and forming new memories.
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As Alzheimer's disease progresses, its symptoms become more severe. Patients may experience disorientation, increasing confusion, and significant behavior changes. Eventually, basic actions like speaking, swallowing, and even walking become very difficult.
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While being older is the biggest known risk factor, Alzheimer's isn't just for seniors. Roughly 200,000 Americans under the age of 65 are living with "younger-onset" Alzheimer's disease, highlighting its impact across age groups.
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