The Difference Between Alzheimer's and Dementia

There is often a misunderstanding as to what Alzheimer's and dementia are. These terms are often thrown around leading to most of the misunderstanding. However, there is a significant difference between the two terms. Below is the basic description of what dementia and Alzheimer's disease consist of. After that, listed is the difference between the two terms.

What is Dementia

Dementia is when the brain no longer functions normally. The word dementia was first used to replace the word senility which the medical board believed to be out of date. The symptoms of dementia can include; asking the same questions over and over; getting lost, even in familiar settings; and getting confused about times, people, and places. The presence of these symptoms alone does not necessarily mean dementia. For it be classified as dementia, the symptoms must be severe enough to interfere with daily life. People suffering from dementia often exhibit these symptoms at different rates. Some types of dementia can be reversed. The types of dementia that can be reversed are often when the brain tissue remains undamaged. Cases like this include, a high fever, poor nutrition, dehydration, vitamin deficiency, minor head injury, thyroid problem, or a bad reaction to medicine. These cases are serious and need to be treated by a medical professional right away. However, once the underlying cause of the dementia is treated, the brain returns back to it's normal function and the dementia is cured. However, there are several problems when dementia is irreversible. This cases happen when the dementia is caused by damaged tissue in the brain.

What is Alzheimer's Disease

So what is Alzheimer's? Alzheimer's disease is a neurological disease leading to loss of neurons and intellectual properties. Although Alzheimer's disease is associated with the elderly it is not a normal process of aging. Alzheimer's disease occurs because the person lacks some vital brain chemicals used in the transmission of messages. In an Alzheimer's patient develops plagues or tangles in the brain that cut of circulation to the tissue causing the brain matter to die. This is why Alzheimer's is hard to classify in a living person. Often times people are diagnosed with it based on the symptoms, however it can not be a confirmed diagnose until the patient is dead and his or her brain is examined. It is believed that about one in three of the elderly will be diagnosed with having Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's disease is a progressive terminal disease, once diagnosed the condition only gets worse. There are several ways to slow down the progress of the disease, however there is no cure for the disease.

However, it is widely accepted that maintaining an active lifestyle can help slow down the progression of the disease. Certain activities that slow down the progression include; gardening or other yard work, and any type of aerobic exercise. Sometimes people can confuse common emotional distress with dementia. There are several problems the elder have to face that can be hard. These problems include; death of a spouse or friend; coping with retirement; feeling sad, lonely, or bored. These problems can often cause the person to feel lost and confused or even forgetful. These problems can be cured by reaching out to the person. Family or friends reaching out to the person can ease some of the emotional distress revealing of person of their problems. Other times the emotional problems are too severe and need to be handled by a doctor or licensed therapist.

What is the Difference

The easiest way to note the difference between the two terms is dementia is a symptom while Alzheimer's disease is the cause. The most common cause of dementia happens to be Alzheimer's disease with about 80 percent of all dementia cases being caused by Alzheimer's. Most people tend to think of dementia and Alzheimer's in a continuum with dementia being less severe and Alzheimer's being the most severe. However, this is a flawed thought process. Dementia is present at all stages of Alzheimer's disease. However, Alzheimer's disease can be in different stages and the amount of dementia present can be less severe in the earlier stages. The best way to compare this is an analogy with the term fever. A fever is a symptom, the elevated temperature of the human body, however, that does not explain why the person is sick. The person is sick due to a virus. In this analogy, the fever represents dementia and the virus is Alzheimer's.

Although these terms are very commonly confused, there is a distinct difference between them. Dementia is a symptom, while Alzheimer's is the disease that causes the symptom. Although dementia and Alzheimer's are serious medical conditions that are irreversible. Despite there not being a cure, there are several ways one can slow down the progress of Alzheimer's.