Facts about dementia

Facts about dementia
What is dementia?Dementia is a term used to describe various different brain disorders that have in common a loss of brain function that is usually progressive and eventually severe. There are over 100 different types of dementia. The most common are Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies. Symptoms of dementia include loss of memory, confusion and problems with speech and understanding.Read more about the different causes of dementia ...See also How is dementia diagnosed?
Most forms of dementia cannot be cured. There are some drugs available that appear to alleviate some of the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease in some people.See also Treatments
How dementia progressesAll types of dementia are progressive illnesses. This means that the structure and chemistry of the brain become increasingly damaged over time. The person's ability to remember, understand, communicate and reason will gradually decline. Read more ...
GeneticsGenetic factors are responsible for the disease in only a very small number of families. There is no single gene for Alzheimer's disease and inherited factors alone do not explain why some people develop it while others do not.Read more ...
StatisticsThe Alzheimer's Society estimates that there are currently over 700,000 people in the UK with dementia.See also Society's position on demographyRead more ...

Risk factorsResearchers believe that many factors, including age, genetic background and lifestyle, can lead to the onset of the disease. The prevalence of dementia in people with learning difficulties is higher than in the general population.Read more ...Mind your head


What is dementia
The term 'dementia' is used to describe the symptoms that occur when the brain is affected by specific diseases and conditions, including Alzheimer's disease, stroke and many other rarer conditions. Symptoms of dementia include loss of memory, confusion and problems with speech and understanding.Different areas of the brain are responsible for different skills and abilities. The changes in behaviour, memory and thought in people with Alzheimer's disease may be a direct result of the way the disease has affected their brain.See also information sheet The brain and behaviour
There are several diseases and conditions that cause dementia.See also information sheet What is dementia
Causes of dementia include:
Alzheimer's diseaseThis is the most common cause of dementia. During the course of the disease, the chemistry and structure of the brain changes, leading to the death of brain cells. Information sheet What is Alzheimer’s disease
Vascular diseaseIf the oxygen supply to the brain fails, brain cells may die. The symptoms of vascular dementia can occur either suddenly, following a stroke, or over time, through a series of small strokes. Information sheet What is vascular dementia
Dementia with Lewy bodiesThis form of dementia gets its name from tiny spherical structures that develop inside nerve cells. Their presence in the brain leads to the degeneration of brain tissue. Memory, concentration and language skills are affected. Information sheet Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB)

Fronto-temporal dementia (including Pick's disease)In fronto-temporal dementia, damage is usually focused in the front part of the brain. Personality and behaviour are initially more affected than memory. Information sheet What is fronto-temporal dementia (including Pick’s disease)
Rarer causes of dementiaThere are many other rarer causes of dementia, including progressive supranuclear palsy, Korsakoff's syndrome, Binswanger's disease, HIV and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). People with multiple sclerosis, motor neurone disease, Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease can also be at an increased risk of developing dementia. Information sheet Rarer causes of dementia

Mild cognitive impairmentMild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a relatively recent term, used to describe people who have some problems with their memory but do not actually have dementia.Information sheet Mild cognitive impairment
More information sheetsRarer causes of dementiaWhat is Aids-related cognitive impairment?What is Korsakoff’s syndromeLearning disabilities and dementiaWhat is Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD)?