People often use the terms dementia and Alzheimer's disease interchangeably, but they are different disorders. Understanding the differences between the two is essential. Dementia is a broad term for cognitive disorders that affect a person's ability to carry out activities of daily living. Alzheimer's disease is only one type of dementia, and there are many others. People must know what they are dealing with to ensure the right treatment plan is selected for the best possible outcome.
Dementia
Dementia leads to a decline in mental function. This decline is not reversible, and dementia is a syndrome rather than a disease. Dementia is a group of disorders that result in chronic memory loss and personality changes. The person with dementia struggles with impaired reasoning, and the symptoms must affect their daily life. This may not seem like a significant difference between Alzheimer's and dementia, but it is.
Many people forget things every day. Family members don't need to become concerned until mild forgetfulness becomes mild cognitive impairment, the earliest dementia stage. Seniors often need more time to complete tasks, which is normal. When they require help with activities of daily living, families need to have them assessed for dementia.
Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer's disease is a specific type of dementia. Over time, the person loses their memory and thinking skills permanently. Increased age puts a person at higher risk of this disease. Over time, this individual won't be able to complete basic tasks. A doctor will do a mental status exam and a short neuro-psych exam to determine if a patient has Alzheimer's disease. They will also talk to the patient and their loved ones to learn about recent behavioral and memory changes. Researchers continue to search for drugs that will help slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease or stop it completely.
Diagnosing Dementia
Before a doctor will determine a person has dementia, they must see a decline in two or more behavioral or cognitive areas. The areas they assess include language impairment, disorientation, personality change, and memory loss. The doctor takes a complete medical history and puts the senior through mental-skill challenges to see how they do. In many cases, mood and personality changes are the first symptoms of dementia that appear, so doctors will ask about those changes.
The doctor will also perform a physical exam to determine whether the dementia is caused by Parkinson's disease or another medical condition. To distinguish between normal forgetfulness and dementia, the doctor will ask the senior to calculate something, such as a tip. Finally, they will put the senior through memory and thinking tests, such as the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test. These tests help them determine whether to treat the senior for dementia or if another issue must be addressed.
Diagnosing Alzheimer's Disease
Doctors may use several methods to determine if a person has Alzheimer's disease. The National Institute on Aging reports that medical professionals conduct physical and mental tests to rule out other disorders, and they have patients complete memory and problem-solving tests. When doing so, they look for a gradual onset of symptoms that progress slowly.
In the past, patients weren't diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease until an autopsy was performed after their passing. Coroners would look for beta-amyloid and tau, two proteins that resemble tangles and plaques. Today, a PET scan or cerebrospinal fluid sampling can determine whether the tangles and plaques are present. Unfortunately, due to the high costs of these tests and the invasiveness, most patients never undergo them, as their insurance won't pay for them. Researchers continue to look for new ways to diagnose Alzheimer's disease quickly, easily, and at little cost.
Dementia and Alzheimer's disease present with similar symptoms. However, Alzheimer's is only one type of dementia. There are several others, so an accurate diagnosis is needed to provide the best treatment. Doing so allows for the best outcome for the patient.
