Dementias

Dementia is ageneral term for confusion or cognitive impairment.  However it is not a term that clarifies whatis CAUSING the symptoms.  Dementia can becaused by a number of different disorders. Since there are many causes for dementia, it is usually necessary for an individual with dementia symptoms to undergo a detailed examination which includes: Neurological exam, paper and pencil tests of memory and thinking abilities, brain scan (CT or MRI), and blood tests before a specific diagnosis can be made.

Dementia is ageneral term for confusion or cognitive impairment that includes at least two of the following symptoms:

• memory loss
• language problems such as word finding difficulties
• impaired visual perception and recognition
• difficulty with skilled motor tasks
• impaired judgment and reasoning
• loss of motivation, planning ability, and organizational skills
• problems with calculations
• behavioral problems, including suspiciousness, paranoia, and agitation

Dementia is caused by or exacerbated by a number of different disorders:

• Alzheimer's disease
• Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders
• Lewy body dementia
• Frontotemporal dementia (including Pick's disease)
• Many additional lesser known neurodegenerative diseases
• strokes (vascular dementia)
• depression
• medication side effects
• vitamin deficiencies
• hormonal imbalances
• alcohol and other toxic conditions
• kidney, liver, cardiac, or respiratory failure
• subdural hematomas
• tumors
• multiple sclerosis
• hydrocephalus
• prion diseases (Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease)
• infectious diseases