Causes of Dementia: An Overview
Dementia is a descriptive term for a collection of symptoms (such as personality changes, memory problems, and behavioral problems) that can be caused by a number of conditions that affect the brain.
All forms of dementia result from the death of nerve cells or the loss of communication among such cells. The human brain is complex and intricate -- many factors can interfere with its functioning. Although
dementia research scientists have uncovered many of these factors, they do not yet have a complete understanding of how dementias develop.
There are many potential causes of dementia. About 10 percent of these are treatable conditions, meaning that the progression of dementia can be reversed or at least stopped with early
dementia treatment. For the rest, there are no known treatment options available that can stop the progression of dementia symptoms.
Although
Alzheimer's disease and certain other conditions are technically causes of dementia, they are also often referred to as types of dementia. Likewise, terms such as "vascular dementia" are often used to describe causes as well as types of dementia.
Specific Causes of Dementia
The most common cause of dementia is
Alzheimer's disease. Over 50 percent of people diagnosed with dementia have Alzheimer's disease. Other common causes of dementia include:
- Multi-infarct dementia (a type of vascular dementia caused by a disruption of blood flow to the brain)
- Other types of vascular dementia (such as Binswanger's disease)
- Alcohol abuse
- Normal pressure hydrocephalus
- Metabolic conditions, such as hypothyroidism or vitamin B12 deficiency
- Brain tumor or brain cancer.
Other causes of dementia that are not as common include:
There are also a number of conditions that can cause dementia in children.