What to know about dementia: It’s not just memory loss

(Aging Untold) — Dementia is not just about memory loss. We are breaking down what’s happening in the brain, what causes dementia and the different types.

“It’s not aging. It’s not normal aging, and it’s not a disease. It’s a diagnosis,” Dr. Rhea Rogers, a board-certified physician, said.

Rogers explained the difference between disease and diagnosis.

The disease is what’s actually going wrong in the body. Diagnosis is the name given to it.

In dementia, abnormal proteins accumulate in the brain and interrupt communication between cells, Rogers said. Brain cells, called neurons, start to die. Information comes in and everything gets disrupted.

“It’s not really just the memory system. The whole system is failing,” Rogers said.

Different types of dementia

Aging expert Amy O’Rourke said people often hear the word dementia but don’t think about what kind of dementia it is.

There are hundreds of different types of dementia, O’Rourke said.

The more common ones are Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal dementia and Lewy body dementia.

“When you get a diagnosis of dementia, you need to get to what type is it,” O’Rourke said.

When the specific type is named, such as Alzheimer’s disease, that’s the disease. The diagnosis is dementia.

Learn more about the different types of dementia:

• Alzheimer’s Disease
• Dementia with Lewy Bodies
• Frontotemporal Dementia
• Vascular Dementia
• Parkinson’s Disease Dementia
• Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
• Posterior Cortical Atrophy
• Hydrocephalus
• Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Stages of dementia

O’Rourke uses a three-stage method to explain dementia progression: mild, moderate and severe.

In the mild stage, there’s a little confusion.

In the moderate stage, there’s more confusion and the person starts to need help with care.

In the severe stage, the person needs more care and there’s a loss of almost all ability to communicate.

Some causes are reversible

Gerontologist Sam Cradduck said there are more than 400 different reasons someone could have dementia, and some of those are reversible.

An infection can cause dementia.

Blood sugar issues, stress, alcoholism and depression can also cause dementia.

“The diagnosis of dementia is the smoke. We need to know what the fire is, what is causing this?” Cradduck said.

Until the root cause is found, families can’t know what they’re up against. If it’s progressive, they can prepare for the stages. If it’s something like a blood sugar issue or an infection, it may be treatable.

Why diagnosis matters

Aging-well coach Katherine Ambrose said some people think it is what it is and don’t see the need to investigate further. But getting to the root cause allows families to do something about it.

Even if the dementia is not reversible, families may be able to slow symptoms down or make things better.

Knowing what might be normal in a particular disease helps families understand what to expect. It also helps them recognize when something doesn’t match the expected pattern, which could mean another issue is developing.

Rogers noted that diseases usually happen long before the diagnosis is made. A diagnosis never happens before the disease.

“If you sense anything with a loved one’s memory, anything, get it at the doctor first thing,” O’Rourke said.

Cradduck said people often equate dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

But that might not be the case.

If someone has Alzheimer’s disease, they will have dementia. But if someone has dementia, it doesn’t mean they have Alzheimer’s, she added.

It wasn’t long ago that Alzheimer’s disease could only be diagnosed through autopsy. Anyone who developed dementia was getting a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, when it was more likely vascular dementia, Cradduck said.

Dementia affects not just memory, but also behavior, function and thinking. Rogers said it depends on what part of the brain is being damaged.

“The brain has physical changes happening to it. This is not something you’re going to pep talk somebody out of,” Ambrose said. “It really is important to get the medical help and seek out many different options.”

Five key takeaways

1. Dementia is a diagnosis, not a disease. The disease is the underlying cause, such as Alzheimer’s disease or vascular dementia.
2. There hundreds of causes of dementia. Some are reversible, including infections, blood sugar issues, stress, alcoholism and depression.
3. Getting to the root cause is critical. Families need to know what type of dementia it is to understand treatment options and what to expect.
4. Dementia affects more than memory. It also impacts behavior, function and thinking, depending on which part of the brain is damaged.
5. Early medical evaluation is essential. If you notice any changes in a loved one’s memory or behavior, seek medical help to rule out acute causes.