What is dementia?
Dementia is a condition of the brain which causes a gradual loss of mental ability. In addition, other features commonly develop such as changes in personality, a decline in social function, and a decline in the ability to look after oneself. There are various different causes of dementia.
Who gets dementia?
Dementia usually affects older people and becomes more common with increasing age. Sometime after the age of 65 about 1 in 20 people develop dementia. About 1 in 5 people over the age of 80 have dementia. Rarely, it affects younger people. Dementia is not a normal part of ageing. It is also different to the 'Age Associated Memory Impairment' that is common in older people.
What causes dementia?
Dementia can be caused by various diseases which affect the parts of the brain involved with thought processes. However, most cases are caused by Alzheimer's disease or vascular dementia. All of the types of dementia cause similar symptoms, but some features may point to a particular cause. Therefore, quite often it is not possible to say which disease is causing the dementia in each individual case.
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