What is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly?
Alzheimer’s disease, the most common dementia diagnosis among older adults. It is caused by changes in the brain, including abnormal buildups of proteins, known as amyloid plaques and tau tangles. Frontotemporal dementia, a rare form of dementia that tends to occur in people younger than 60.
What is the physiology of dementia?
Dementia is caused by damage to brain cells. This damage interferes with the ability of brain cells to communicate with each other. When brain cells cannot communicate normally, thinking, behavior and feelings can be affected.
What is the most common cause of dementia among people age 65 and older?
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of a progressive dementia in older adults, but there are a number of other causes of dementia. Depending on the cause, some dementia symptoms might be reversible.
What is a condition that dementia is often mistaken for in older adults?
The symptoms of depression are often mistaken for dementia. It is not easy to define the symptoms because many people with dementia develop signs of depression, such as feelings of low self-esteem and confidence, tearfulness and appetite, concentration and memory problems.
What is the average age for dementia diagnosis?
The estimated average age of onset of dementia in the United States is 83.7 years old (Plassman et al. 2011), and dementia is often accompanied by comorbidities, such as diabetes and a history of stroke (Langa et al. 2017).
What is the relationship between dementia and old age?
Dementia is not a normal part of aging. It includes the loss of cognitive functioning — thinking, remembering, learning, and reasoning — and behavioral abilities to the extent that it interferes with a person’s quality of life and activities. Memory loss, though common, is not the only sign of dementia.