Skip to content

Understanding the types of dementia


Reading Time: 4 minutes

Here we delve into a little more detail about the 4 most common causes of dementia. Alzheimer’s dementia is the commonest diagnosed cause of dementia, followed by mixed vascular and vascular dementia. Pure vascular dementia come in third.

Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 35 to 70 percent of cases of dementia.

Alzheimer’s is a gradually progressive dementia which presents initially with short term memory loss, word finding difficulty, naming problems, difficultly with complex tasks, way-finding difficulties and problems with perception . As the disease progresses, the person gradually loses the ability to care for themselves, relate to the environment and communicate.

Vascular dementia is the second most common type of dementia. Vascular dementia occurs secondary to reduced blood flow to parts of the brain. This develops after a single major stroke or a number of smaller strokes. A stroke is defined as a loss of brain function secondary to a lack of blood supply. Symptoms of vascular dementia depend on the area of the brain that is affected. They include problems with memory, confusion and difficulty following instructions. There is often a history of other medical disorders such as diabetes and hypertension.

In clinical practice, a mixed picture of vascular and Alzheimer’s dementia is far more common when compared to vascular dementia alone.

The impairment associated with vascular dementia often occurs in “steps” rather than in the slow, steady decline usually seen in Alzheimer’s.

Pages: 1 2 3 4