Most Common Causes of Dementia

Dementia indicates the reduced mental and cognitive brain function in those it strikes and it is often an age-related, progressive disorder with no cure. However, some types of dementia are a result of an underlying or secondary disorder and, in some cases, treatment of the disorder may reduce or reverse the symptoms of dementia. The Latin word "dementia" comes from a combination of the terms "mind" and "away."

Alzheimer's disease

• Although Alzheimer's is not a part of the normal aging process, the risk of contracting this dementia increases with age. Alzheimer's is the cause of up to two-thirds of all dementia cases.

Dementia with Lewy Bodies

• The second most common cause of dementia is Lewy body disease (LBD) in which the patient's condition may deteriorate rapidly. LBD may mimic Alzheimer's disease as well as Parkinson's disease in the early stages, so diagnosis may be difficult.

Stroke

• Sometimes dementia is the result of a vascular (blood vessel) episode such as a stroke. When an individual suffers a stroke, a portion of the brain that controls the mental, behavioral or physical body functions may be damaged. Early treatment of a stroke is imperative to the long-term prognosis of a stroke victim.

Pick's disease

• Pick's disease (frontotemporal dementia) is a genetic mutation of the 17th chromosome and it often strikes between the ages of 40 and 65. This type of dementia causes the loss of language functions, resulting in the inability to think of the correct name of an object or term. It may also cause "echolalia," the inclination to repeat statements, among other symptoms.

Degenerative Diseases

• Together, a number of degenerative diseases may result in dementia. Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease and Lou Gehrig's disease affect the victim's cognitive ability as well as his physical motor coordination.

Other dementia causes

• Although less common, there are other causes of dementia, including alcohol-related dementia, ascribed to years of chronic drinking, vitamin B1 deficiency or the side effect of medication. In addition, depression may mimic some dementia symptoms, known as depression-induced pseudo dementia. Endocrine or metabolic disorders and infections that target the brain's neurons, such as syphilis, AIDS and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), may also cause dementia.