Are All Dementias Alzheimer?s?

I'm surprised when some patients and caregivers confuse dementia and Alzheimer's as one and the same. Each time a family member is suffering from memory loss, the conclusion is always Alzheimer's. Is it reasonable to label all dementias as Alzheimer's?

As a clinician, my answer to queries is that Alzheimer's dementia is only one type of dementia and that not all dementias are Alzheimer's. Aside from Alzheimer's disease, other dementias exist such as Dementia with lewy body, Vascular dementia, Parkinson's disease with dementia, and dementias due to various neurologic and medical conditions.

How will you know if a person is suffering from Alzheimer's dementia? What is Alzheimer's dementia?

Alzheimer's dementia is a neurologic disorder characterized by a progressive and irreversible cognitive decline associated with impairment in functioning. The cognitive deterioration consists of memory impairment. Initially there is recent memory impairment but as the disease progresses, even the long term memory is affected.

In addition to memory impairment, a patient with dementia has impairment in one of four cognitive areas: aphasia, apraxia, agnosia, and impairment in executive functioning. Aphasia is a problem in language characterized by inability to express oneself, repeat words or phrases, or understand what is being said. Apraxia is inability to adequately perform a usual motor activity such as combing the hair or brushing the teeth despite no paralysis or musculoskeletal abnormality.

Agnosia is inability to recognize objects or things despite no sensory deficits. For instance, a demented patient cannot recognize a key or a pen placed in his or her hands without looking at it.

Impairment in executive functioning is characterized by difficulty in abstract reasoning and in organizing things, schedule, and activities. Patients with this problem give concrete meaning to proverbs. For example, when a patient is asked what "don't cry over spilled milk" means, the patient responds, "It's easy. Just wipe it!" Moreover, knowing the specific similarities and differences of certain things (e.g. apple versus orange) is a struggle for some patients.

What are the possible causes of Alzheimer's?

The cause of Alzheimer is still unknown. However, several risk factors have been identified. One major risk factor is age. The risk of developing dementia increases as our age advances. Older individuals therefore are more at risk. Having said this, Alzheimer's can also happen to young individuals.

Other important risk factors include the presence of apolipoprotein E4 allele, the predominance of plaques and tangles in the brain, and the brain's impaired cholinergic system.

Is there any successful treatment for Alzheimer's?

Alzheimer's disease is irreversible so current medications are only geared to slow down the deterioration. These acetylcholisterase inhibitors, namely galantamine, rivastigmine, and donepezil, are aimed at improving the cholinergic functioning in the brain by inhibiting the cholinesterase enzyme. Although initially indicated for mild to moderate dementia, some recent evidence shows that some of these drugs may also benefit patients with moderate to severe dementia. Further studies are warranted to determine its efficacy in this group.

Copyright © 2004. All rights reserved. Dr. Michael G. Rayel ? author (First Aid to Mental Illness?Finalist, Reader's Preference Choice Award 2002), psychiatrist, and inventor of Oikos Game: An Emotional Intelligence Game. For info, visit http://www.oikosglobal.com and http://www.soardime.com

---

Do You Love Your Body?

Through out the course of one's life one is faced... Read More

An Easy Cure For Math Phobia

Why is it that one person enjoys math, while another... Read More

Why Does It Seem That There Are More Children With ADHD Than Ever Before?

Even though the percentage of people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity... Read More

The Special Secret of Intuition

The limbic systemNerve impulses were known to relay feelings and... Read More

The Cyber Narcissist

To the narcissist, the Internet is an alluring and irresistible... Read More

No Picnic In Sight

Upon being diagnosed with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, I saw the reality... Read More

Are Observations Objective?

On the outset all observations may seem to be objective,... Read More

Metaphors of the Mind (Part II)

Storytelling has been with us since the days of campfire... Read More

Anti-Social Behaviors and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Anti-social behaviors are common with ADHD individuals. About 60% of... Read More

Rediscovering the Mind

From the viewpoint of a modern microbiologist, we hear the... Read More

On Dis-ease

We are all terminally ill. It is a matter of... Read More

Narcissistic Personality Disorder Tips

FIVE DON'T DO'SHow to Avoid the Wrath of the NarcissistNever... Read More

Subconscious Drives Make You Unhappy

Feelings and emotions are nerve impulses.The feel of paper and... Read More

Intro to Being an ADHD Parent

In my fifteen years of private practice working with children... Read More

What Causes Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder?

The most recent models that attempt to describe what is... Read More

Dogs Use Psycho-Cybernetics To Accomplish Goals

Dogs picture in their minds an event of an activity... Read More

Time Out of Mind

Let us first consider the role of time in our... Read More

Metaphors of the Mind (Part I)

The brain (and, by implication, the Mind) has been compared... Read More

Key Solution Focus Interviewing Skills

There are several key Solution Focus interviewing skills that are... Read More

Panic Attacks: Effective Ways to Cope

Jill is a 21 y/o college student who used to... Read More

Solution Focus Process: Solution Talk vs. Problem Talk Pt I

Solution Talk vs. Problem TalkProblem talk, of course, is talk... Read More

Precognition or Circadian Rhythm?

The bodies natural clock or circadian rhythm seems to have... Read More

The 5 Hindrances of the Mind: Are They Blocking Your Self-Esteem?

The issue of self-esteem is perhaps one of the greatest... Read More

What is the Theory of Multiple Intelligences? Part 2: Cultural Influence

Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences developed as he worked... Read More

What is the Treatment for Bipolar Disorder?

How do we treat bipolar disorder? Specifically, how do we... Read More

Jack the Ripper

At around 3.40am on August 31st 1888, a carter named... Read More

Emotional Intelligence: The Basics

There's so much talk about emotional intelligence and how it... Read More

Serial Killers

Countess Erszebet Bathory was a breathtakingly beautiful, unusually well-educated woman,... Read More

The Offspring of Aeolus - On the Incest Taboo

Incest is not such a clear-cut matter as it has... Read More

Emotion is a Reaction to the Influence

Each one of us is linked to the emotions whether... Read More

What?s the Problem: Introducing Solution Focus Pt 2

Again, many of us think we listen, yet we don't... Read More

The Diagnosis Myth

Although I risk dissension by doing so, I must say... Read More

The Attention Spanner

After a long and patient wait in queue, you reached... Read More