Query about Dementia...?

What are the main differences between Dementia and Alzheimers Disease?

Dementia is the larger category, and Alzheimer's disease is a member of that category, like animal is a bigger category and mammal is a member of it, or like mammal is a category and lion is a subset of it.

Dementia is a clinical diagnosis characterized chiefly by loss of memory and judgment. Alzheimer's Disease is a specific cause of dementia, one of several. There is also vascular, or multi-infarct dementia, for example, caused by dozens of tiny strokes from undertreated hypertension (high blood pressure) that causes an indistinguishable syndrome but has a different origin and makes the brain look different under a microscope.

The causes of dementia range from irreversible to reversible, with some being treatable, and others fairly resistant to treatment. Alzheimer's is irreversible and responds slightly to treatment with a slowing of progression, but no reversal.

From http://www.emedicinehealth.com/dementia_... : The main irreversible causes of dementia are Alzheimer disease, vascular dementia (multi-infarct dementia), Lewy body dementia, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (mad cow disease), Pick disease (frontotemporal dementia), Parkinson disease, Huntington disease.

Symptoms of dementia vary depending on the cause and the area of the brain that is affected. Memory loss is usually the earliest and most noticeable symptom. Other key symptoms of dementia include:

Having difficulty recalling recent events.
Not recognizing familiar people and places.
Having trouble finding the right words to express thoughts or name objects.
Having difficulty performing calculations.
Having problems planning and carrying out tasks, such as balancing a checkbook, following a recipe, or writing a letter.
Having trouble exercising judgment, such as knowing what to do in an emergency.
Having difficulty controlling moods or behaviors. Depression is common, and agitation or aggression may occur.


Symptoms
Memory loss is usually the first sign of Alzheimer's disease. Many older people may worry about Alzheimer's disease if they start to have memory problems. Having some short-term memory loss in your 60s and 70s is common, and some people with mild memory problems will go on to develop Alzheimer's disease. If you start having memory problems, share your concerns with your family and your doctor.

Examples of normal forgetfulness include forgetting:

Parts of an experience.
Where the car is parked.
Events from the distant past.
A person's name, remembering it later.
Where you left an object, such as your car keys.