Dementia-Cause
Dementia is caused by damage to or changes in the brain. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause. Stroke is the second most common cause of dementia. Dementia caused by stroke is called vascular dementia.
Some causes of dementia can be reversed with treatment, but most cannot.
Alzheimer’s Disease Caregiver Tips
Your mom or dad has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. While your first feeling may be worry, you can get support to help you guide your parent’s care and manage costs. That way you can make the most of your time together.Several local, national, and online resources can help you find care for your parent, along with discounts, delivered meals, and legal or financial tips. Here are some leads on how to get started.
Read the Alzheimer’s Disease Caregiver Tips article > >
Common causes of dementia that cannot be reversed are:
Less common causes of dementia that cannot be reversed include:
When dementia is caused by certain treatable problems, the treatment may also help the dementia. These treatable problems include:
Some disorders that cause dementia can run in families. Doctors often suspect an inherited cause if someone younger than 50 has symptoms of dementia. For more information, see the topic Alzheimer's Disease.
Some causes of dementia can be reversed with treatment, but most cannot.
Recommended Related to Alzheimer's
Alzheimer’s Disease Caregiver Tips
Your mom or dad has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. While your first feeling may be worry, you can get support to help you guide your parent’s care and manage costs. That way you can make the most of your time together.Several local, national, and online resources can help you find care for your parent, along with discounts, delivered meals, and legal or financial tips. Here are some leads on how to get started.
Read the Alzheimer’s Disease Caregiver Tips article > >
Causes that cannot be reversed
Common causes of dementia that cannot be reversed are:
- Parkinson's disease. Dementia is common in people with this condition.
- Dementia with Lewy bodies. It can cause short-term memory loss.
- Frontotemporal dementia, a group of diseases that includes Pick's disease.
- Severe head injury that caused a loss of consciousness.
- Vascular dementia that may occur in people who have a stroke, long-term high blood pressure, or severe hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis).
Less common causes of dementia that cannot be reversed include:
- Huntington's disease.
- Leukoencephalopathies, which are diseases that affect the deeper, white-matter brain tissue.
- Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rare and fatal condition that destroys brain tissue.
- Brain injuries from accidents or boxing.
- Some cases of multiple sclerosis (MS) or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
- Multiple-system atrophy (a group of degenerative brain diseases affecting speech, movement, and autonomic functions).
- Infections such as late-stage syphilis. Antibiotics can effectively treat syphilis at any stage, but they cannot reverse the brain damage already done.
Causes that may be reversible
When dementia is caused by certain treatable problems, the treatment may also help the dementia. These treatable problems include:
- Underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism).
- Vitamin B12 deficiency.
- Heavy-metal poisoning, such as from lead.
- Side effects of medicines or drug interactions.
- Some brain tumors.
- Normal-pressure hydrocephalus.
- Some cases of chronic alcoholism.
- Some cases of encephalitis.
- HIV/AIDS.
Inherited dementia
Some disorders that cause dementia can run in families. Doctors often suspect an inherited cause if someone younger than 50 has symptoms of dementia. For more information, see the topic Alzheimer's Disease.