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- Causes possibly 7-20% of dementia
- The symptoms vary hugely at different times
- It can be hard to diagnose at first because it looks like Alzheimer’s Disease
- The person may have symptoms which are like Parkinson’s disease such as trouble walking or a tremor
- Sometimes people experience hallucinations of people or animals
- People with this dementia can be very sensitive to certain medications
- REM (rapid eye movement) sleep disorder is common
- People can have periods of impaired alertness and concentration, appearing drowsy
- Spatial problems may be worse than in Alzheimer’s Disease
- There are round protein deposits found in the brain
- Causes about 10-20% of all diagnosis of dementia
- Approximately 25% of people with AD will also have VaD
- There is a sudden onset and step wise progression
- It is caused by damage to blood vessels and a lack of oxygen getting to the brain. It is related to strokes and TIA’S
- It is sometimes called Multi-Infarct Dementia (MID)
- Not all areas of the brain may be affected so symptoms can be patchy
- Distinct mood changes (depression, sudden inappropriate changes)
- There can be a patchy picture – memory may be less affected
- Personality changes
- Discovered in 11907 Alois Alzheimer
- Most common type of dementia, about 60% of all people who have dementia have this type
- Affects 1 in 20 people over 65 – 1 in 5 over 80
- There are deposits called Plaques & Tangles in the brain
- Memory enhancing medication can sometimes be prescribed
- Spatial disturbance (environmental disorientation, route finding, dressing problems, copying shapes)
- People experience general changes in the way their brains interpret, organise & store information (cognitive function)
- There is a slow progression with some periods of stability
- The brain cells which store memory are affected and the chemical which helps send messages (acetylcholine) is not made properly
- There is a small genetic risk
- People often have language problems
- The exact cause is still unknown