Why dementia

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Create a New Account. Forgot Username or Password? Alzheimer's disease Huntington's disease Vascular dementia Dementia with Lewy bodies Frontotemporal dementia Normal pressure hydrocephalus Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease prion disease Corticobasal degeneration Mild cognitive impairment. Patient history Physical examination Neurological evaluations Cognitive and neuropsychological tests Brain scans Laboratory tests Psychiatric evaluation Presymptomatic testing.

Risk Factors. What causes dementia? Dementia is caused by damage to or changes in the brain. Common causes of dementia are: Alzheimer's disease. This is the most common cause of dementia. Vascular dementia. This may occur in people who have long-term high blood pressure, severe hardening of the arteries, or several small strokes. Strokes are the second most common cause of dementia. Parkinson's disease. Dementia is common in people with this condition.

Dementia with Lewy bodies. It can cause short-term memory loss. Frontotemporal dementia. This is a group of diseases that includes Pick's disease.

Doctors diagnose Alzheimer's and other types of dementia based on a careful medical history, a physical examination, laboratory tests, and the characteristic changes in thinking, day-to-day function and behavior associated with each type.

Doctors can determine that a person has dementia with a high level of certainty. But it's harder to determine the exact type of dementia because the symptoms and brain changes of different dementias can overlap. In some cases, a doctor may diagnose "dementia" and not specify a type. If this occurs, it may be necessary to see a specialist such as a neurologist, psychiatrist, psychologist or geriatrician. Learn more: Memory Tests Dementia help and support are available If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with dementia, you are not alone.

The Alzheimer's Association is one of the most trusted resources for information, education, referral and support. The first survivor of Alzheimer's is out there, but we won't get there without you. Treatment of dementia depends on its cause. Others can temporarily slow the worsening of dementia symptoms and improve quality of life for those living with Alzheimer's and their caregivers. The same medications used to treat Alzheimer's are among the drugs sometimes prescribed to help with symptoms of other types of dementias.

Non-drug therapies can also alleviate some symptoms of dementia. Ultimately, the path to effective new treatments for dementia is through increased research funding and increased participation in clinical studies. Right now, volunteers are urgently needed to participate in clinical studies and trials about Alzheimer's and other dementias. Sprint for Discovery New research shows there are things we can do to reduce the risk of mild cognitive impairment and dementia.

Learn more: Brain Health. Find Your Chapter. Take the Brain Tour. Learn More. This condition might be due to deposits of infectious proteins called prions. Signs and symptoms of this fatal condition usually appear after age Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease usually has no known cause but can be inherited.

It may also be caused by exposure to diseased brain or nervous system tissue, such as from a cornea transplant. Many factors can eventually contribute to dementia. Some factors, such as age, can't be changed. Others can be addressed to reduce your risk. Medications that can worsen memory. Also limit sedatives and sleeping tablets and talk to your doctor about whether any of the drugs you take might make your memory worse. Dementia can affect many body systems and, therefore, the ability to function.

Dementia can lead to:. There's no sure way to prevent dementia, but there are steps you can take that might help. More research is needed, but it might be beneficial to do the following:.

Get enough vitamins. Some research suggests that people with low levels of vitamin D in their blood are more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. You can get vitamin D through certain foods, supplements and sun exposure. More study is needed before an increase in vitamin D intake is recommended for preventing dementia, but it's a good idea to make sure you get adequate vitamin D. Taking a daily B-complex vitamin and vitamin C also might help.

Manage cardiovascular risk factors. Treat high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. Lose weight if you're overweight. High blood pressure might lead to a higher risk of some types of dementia. More research is needed to determine whether treating high blood pressure may reduce the risk of dementia.

Dementia care at Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version.

Overview Dementia is a term used to describe a group of symptoms affecting memory, thinking and social abilities severely enough to interfere with your daily life.

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