Prevention: Doctors Explain the Differences Between Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Types of Dementia
Prevention recently interviewed Zaldy Tan, MD, MPH, medical director of the Jona Goldrich Center for Alzheimer’s and Memory Disorders and director of the Memory and Healthy Aging Program at Cedars-Sinai, about the important distinctions between Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia.
Though the terms often are used interchangeably, Tan told Prevention that they aren’t the same thing. Dementia is a broad category, and Alzheimer's disease falls within it.
“Dementia is an umbrella term for a range of diseases that are characterized by cognitive decline, and then Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia under that umbrella,” he said.
Tan told Prevention that diagnosing dementia is complicated because there’s no simple test that pinpoints a specific type. He said that the presentations vary widely from person to person, “so if you have two different people and they both have Alzheimer’s disease, their presentation may be quite different.”
Experts encourage people who notice possible signs of dementia to see a doctor for an evaluation that includes a medical history, cognitive testing and a neurological exam.
Tan told Prevention that most medications approved by the Food and Drug Administration for dementia are indicated for Alzheimer’s disease because it is the most common and most extensively studied form of dementia. He said clinicians may prescribe Alzheimer’s medications off-label for patients with other dementia types, including Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementia and Parkinson’s disease dementia.
“The reason is that Alzheimer’s can co-exist with other forms of dementia and treating it with these medications may help the overall memory or thinking of the person,” he said.
Alzheimer’s disease typically begins with memory loss and is characterized by abnormal protein buildup in the brain that progressively impairs thinking, behavior, speech and movement. Early neuropsychological testing soon after the earliest symptoms appear may help preserve memory and slow disease progression. Experts recommend speaking with a primary care physician to determine if an evaluation is needed.
Read the complete article from Prevention.