Dementia At the End of Life: What are the Diseases?

A few decades ago, only a few medical specialists would have heard of Alzheimer’s disease. “Senility” was considered inevitable for anyone who lived long enough. But as understanding of the brain has grown, science has been able to identify and differentiate many causes of dementia. Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia, but other brain disorders can and do frequently cause dementia. These types of dementia often present themselves with very similar symptoms. Some people experience multiple types of dementia concurrently, which is called “mixed dementia’. Newly acquired knowledge and technologies are allowing doctors to diagnose and distinguish different types of dementias better than ever before. Here are the four most prevalent forms of dementia. Alzheimer’s Disease Alzheimer’s disease is by far the most well-known and common type of dementia. Vascular Dementia Vascular dementia is also known as “multi-infarct dementia” or “post-stroke dementia” and is the second most common cause of dementia. Lewy Body Dementia Lewy body dementia is the third most common cause of dementia, and is also called “cortical Lewy body disease” or “diffuse Lewy body disease.” Frontotemporal Dementia Frontotemporal dementia is fairly rare, but believed to be the fourth most common type of dementia. Unlike the types of dementia discussed previously, frontotemporal dementia is marked more by behavioral and emotional changes than by cognitive impairment. In fact, memory is preserved in people with frontotemporal dementia. Other Causes of Dementia Just about any condition that causes damage to the brain or nerve cells can cause dementia. For example, people with Parkinson’s disease will often exhibit dementia in the later stages of their illness. Huntington’s disease, Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease and alcoholism can all lead to irreversible cognitive impairment.