What other diseases cause dementia besides Alzheimer’s disease?
Although 60-80% of dementia is caused by Alzheimer’s disease, there are other diseases that cause dementia. Frontal dementia causes approximately 10% of dementia and usually occurs at ages 60 to 70. Frontal dementia often begins with personality, behavior, or language changes followed by memory changes. This is the opposite of the usual course for Alzheimer’s disease. Dementia with Lewy bodies causes approximately 10% of dementia and usually occurs between ages 60 to 80. Dementia with Lewy Bodies has symptoms similar to Alzheimer’s disease, but often also includes delusions and delirium early in the disease. Ischemic vascular dementia causes approximately 5% of dementia and can occur at any age since it is a disease associated with stroke. If a portion of the brain important to cognition is deprived of blood flow (ischemia), symptoms of dementia can follow the insult. Depression causes approximately 10-20% of dementia and can occur at any age. The symptoms are similar to Alzheimer’s di
