Is there a difference between Alzheimer's and Dementia? I know Alz is a form of dementia, but does dementia turn into Alzheimer's?

Dec 18, 2010

My mother-in-law's doctor once told me, that just because mil has dementia now, DOES NOT mean it will ever turn into full blown Alzheimer's. It's a crap shoot I guess. So far so good with my mother-in-law.

jbozman

Dec 18, 2010

Mom's doctor once told me that although Mom has dementia she will probably never develop Alzheimer's....they're two different things. Alzheimer's seems to take root and start its insidious ways quite early, sometimes when someone is in their 40's or 50's, and it's usually never diagnosed at that age.. Dementia is more likely what used to be referred to as "senility," and comes on when people are older. It's my own personal opinion that Alzheimer's has a physical detereoration component that's not always present in dementia sufferers, but that could just be stemming from my own situation (the only meds Mom takes are 2 blood pressure pills...doesn't even have arthritis!). But there might be many folks here who have different stories...there's still a looooong way to go in diagnosing and treating both these conditions. And I have to agree with naheaton - it's all pretty much a crap shoot.

LivingSouth

Dec 18, 2010

Well my mother was diagnosed about ten years ago with mild dementia and was put on Aricept, which I thought was only for Alzheimer's, so I don't know if even the experts know for sure where the two overlap. I think that Alzheimer's may cause a more rapid decline than dementia, but I'm not sure.

wuvsicecream

Dec 18, 2010

I was not clear on this either and most people are confused as well. My understanding through my own curiosity and need, found an answer by researching the subject on line. Dementia is a malfunction within the brain, so it alters personality and causes confusion. You can have dementia for many different reasons. For example : a sneeze is a symptom of an allergy or a cold or sinus infection etc. Alziemers is a disease and dementia is a symptom of the disease. Alziemers as far as I know can not be diagnosed properly till after death, only with an autopsy can a true diagnosis be clear. Ruleing out other causes of dementia and other factors have been considerdered, it can be assumed that a person has a demneted brain due to Alziemers Disease.