What are the common forms of dementia?

Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia, but there are many different forms of dementia.

• Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
  • Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a degenerative brain disorder that leads to dementia, and ultimately death. CJD symptoms can be like those of other dementia-like brain disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease. It is marked by rapid mental deterioration, usually within a few months.

• Parkinson’s Disease Dementia
  • Parkinson’s disease dementia is a decline in thinking and reasoning skills that develops in some people living with Parkinson’s at least a year after diagnosis. Certain factors at the time of Parkinson’s diagnosis may increase future dementia risk, including advanced age, greater severity of motor symptoms, and mild cognitive impairment.

• Down Syndrome
  • As people age, those that have been affected by Down syndrome have a higher risk of developing a type of dementia that’s either the same or very close to Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists think that the increased risk of dementia, and other health issues associated with Down syndrome, results from genes present.

• Alzheimer’s Disease
  • One of the leading causes of death in the United States, Alzheimer’s disease, is the most common form of dementia. Alzheimer’s progresses gradually and intensifies over time, resulting in confusion of time and space and causing an inability to understand and perform daily life tasks and functions.

• Vascular Dementia
  • Vascular dementia is a decline in thinking skills caused by conditions that block or reduce blood flow to various regions of the brain, depriving them of oxygen and nutrients. Vascular damage that starts in the brain areas plays a key role in storing and retrieving information and may cause memory loss similar to Alzheimer’s disease.

• Korsakoff Syndrome
  • Korsakoff syndrome is a chronic memory disorder caused by a severe deficiency of thiamine (vitamin B-1). Korsakoff syndrome is most caused by alcohol misuse, but certain pre-existing conditions can also cause the syndrome.

• Frontotemporal Dementia
  • Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) refers to a group of disorders caused by progressive nerve cell loss in the brain’s frontal lobes (the areas behind your forehead) or its temporal lobes (the regions behind your ears).
  • Frontotemporal dementia inevitably gets worse over time and the speed of decline differs from person to person.

• Huntington’s Disease
  • Huntington’s disease (HD) is a progressive brain disorder caused by a defective gene. This disease causes changes in the central area of the brain, which affect movement, mood, and thinking skills.

• Lewy Body Dementia
  • The second most common type of dementia is caused by the degeneration and death of nerve cells in the brain. It stems from an abnormal buildup of proteins (or Lewy bodies) and affects regions of the brain associated with thinking, memory, and movement. Because of the problems it causes with motor skills, LBD is linked with Parkinson’s disease.
  • There are no medical tests that can diagnose Lewy body dementia (LBD) with 100% accuracy. Specialists, including neurologists, geriatric psychiatrists, neuropsychologists, and geriatricians, make the diagnosis of probable LBD based on combined results of tests and patient symptoms. Your healthcare provider will perform a thorough neurological and physical examination.
  • Currently, there is no cure for Lewy body dementia (LBD). Medications and nonmedical therapies, like physical, occupational, and speech therapies, manage symptoms as much as possible.