Dementia

What is dementia?

Dementia is a general term for a syndrome that involves impairment in multiple aspects of mental ability, and is sufficiently severe that an individual cannot function independently.

Causes of dementia

There are many diseases that cause dementia, including:

• Alzheimer’s disease
• Corticobasal Degeneration
• Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
• Dementia with Lewy Bodies
• Frontotemporal Dementia
• HIV Dementia
• Huntington’s disease
• Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus
• Vascular Dementia

There are other conditions that can cause dementia or dementia-like symptoms including reactions to medications, metabolic problems and endocrine abnormalities, nutritional deficiencies, infections, brain tumors, anoxia or hypoxia, and heart and lung problems. A comprehensive work-up is therefore indicated for all patients who develop symptoms of dementia.