What Condition Causes Irreversible Dementia?

Dementia is a condition that affects the brain, leading to a variety of symptoms.¹ It causes a slow decline in memory, thinking, and the ability to do daily tasks. Over time, a person’s behavior and mood can also change.

There are two types of dementia: reversible and irreversible. Reversible dementia can be quick to happen but it’s treatable. On the other hand, irreversible dementia gradually gets worse. It happens due to diseases that harm the brain. Some of these include Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.

Key Takeaways

• Dementia describes a range of symptoms that show brain damage over time. It includes problems with thinking, behavior, and daily tasks.
• Irreversible dementia is mainly caused by diseases like Alzheimer’s and conditions like Lewy body dementia. These conditions get worse as they damage the brain.
• In contrast, reversible dementia can improve if its root cause is treated. But, irreversible dementia continues to worsen over time.
• ¹ 1 in 3 seniors dies with dementia. And, about 5.5 million elderly Americans have Alzheimer’s, a type of dementia.
• ² Alzheimer’s makes up most dementia cases, affecting 50-70% of people. Vascular dementia and Lewy body dementia are also common.

Understanding Dementia

Dementia is a term for symptoms that harm the brain over time.² It makes thinking and remembering harder. A person with dementia may find it tough to do daily tasks. Their personality and mood can change, and they might struggle with language.

What is Dementia?

Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are often mixed up.² But dementia is a set of brain symptoms, including memory loss and confusion. Alzheimer’s is a specific kind of dementia.

Differences Between Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease

Though related, dementia and Alzheimer’s are not the same. Dementia covers many brain diseases, with Alzheimer’s being the most frequent type.³ Alzheimer’s kills brain cells and causes brain proteins to build up. This leads to memory loss and changes in thinking and behavior. Dementia, on the other hand, can come from various brain-affecting diseases.

Types of Irreversible Dementia

Over 70 diseases and conditions can lead to irreversible dementia. These include Alzheimer’s disease²¹⁴, vascular dementia²¹⁴, and others. This kind of dementia gets worse over time because the brain is being harmed.

About 50% to 70% of dementia cases are from Alzheimer’s Disease². Vascular Dementia is mainly caused by blood circulation issues in the brain. Over 15% of dementia cases have both Alzheimer’s and Vascular Dementia².

Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome is the third common dementia, linked to alcohol abuse². It’s caused by a lack of Thiamine (Vitamin B1) from heavy drinking. This syndrome makes up about 5% of all dementia cases².

There are more than 70 others causes of irreversible dementia. They include Down syndrome, Huntington’s disease, AIDS, and Parkinson’s disease².

All these kinds of irreversible dementia get worse over time. This happens as the brain keeps getting damaged.

Alzheimer’s Disease

Symptoms and Progression

Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia, making up 50%-70% of cases.² During this disease, nerve cells in the brain’s parts start dying. This causes the brain to get smaller.⁵ The first areas to shrink are the outer layers. This affects things like short-term memory, which is a main warning of Alzheimer’s. As the brain shrinks further, more areas are hit.

This leads to troubles in storing and finding information, learning new skills, using words, and doing tasks.⁵ Alzheimer’s starts slowly, getting worse over time as more brain parts are damaged.

Brain Changes in Alzheimer’s

In the beginning, Alzheimer’s brings about toxic brain changes. This includes the build-up of harmful proteins as amyloid plaques and tau tangles.⁵ These changes harm and kill nerve cells, leading to the mind and body issues seen in Alzheimer’s.

Older-age brain changes also play a role, causing brain shrinkage, swelling, blood vessel damage, and more.⁵ This includes things like inflammation, free radicals, and trouble with mitochondria.

Risk Factors and Prevention

Alzheimer’s risk grows with age, genetics, and lifestyle. This includes diet, exercise, and mental activities.⁵ People with Down syndrome face an increased risk. Over 80 genetic spots are linked to Alzheimer’s, but only three genes cause it when changed.⁵

Steps can be taken to reduce these risks. This includes eating healthy, working out, and keeping your brain active.

Vascular Dementia

Vascular dementia occurs when there’s a problem with blood flow to the brain.⁶ A common type is multi-infarct dementia (MID), linked to small brain strokes that damage it.⁶ Having high blood pressure increases the risk of these strokes and vascular dementia.⁶ This risk can lower with a better diet, not smoking, handling diabetes, and being active.⁶ Vascular dementia’s effects worsen after each stroke but can slightly improve before the next one.

Causes and Risk Factors

Hardening of the arteries, heart issues, and strokes can lead to vascular dementia.⁶ The chance of having it goes up as the population ages and heart disease plus diabetes spread.⁶ Risk factors include being older, high blood pressure, smoking, high cholesterol, diabetes, inactive lifestyle, being overweight, and family history of dementia or CADASIL.⁶

Multi-Infarct Dementia

MID, mainly from small brain strokes, is the key form of vascular dementia.⁶ High blood pressure is a big risk for both strokes and MID.⁶ The disease’s progression is marked by worsening symptoms after every stroke, with some small recovery phase in between.⁶

Lewy Body Dementia

Lewy body dementia (LBD) is the third most common form of dementia, affecting over 1 million in the U.S.⁷ It is caused by brain changes. Symptoms include depression, confusion, and hallucinations. People with LBD may also have stooped posture, rigidity, and shuffling walks.⁷ The brain changes, called Lewy bodies, are also seen in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.⁸

Symptoms and Brain Abnormalities

LBD seems to affect slightly more men.⁷ Symptoms usually start at 50, but they can begin earlier.⁷ The disease may last 5 to 8 years, but some cases are shorter or longer.⁷ Visual hallucinations happen in up to 80% of LBD patients.⁷ They might also have muscle stiffness, shaking, and balance problems.⁷

Relation to Parkinson’s Disease

There is an overlap of symptoms between Parkinson’s and LBD. This suggests they may share similar brain issues.⁸ LBD is marked by abnormal protein deposits in nerve cells.⁸ It can happen alone or with Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s.⁸ Age, Parkinson’s, and REM sleep behavior disorder raise the LBD risk. So does having a family member with the condition.⁷

There is currently no cure for LBD.⁸ Yet, a team of experts can help manage the disease. This team might include neurologists, therapists, and family members.⁷ Medicines can relieve some symptoms. These include drugs for Parkinson’s, depression, and hallucinations.⁸ Also, Alzheimer’s drugs can help some people with LBD be more alert and think better.⁸ Physical activity and music are also under study for their potential benefits in LBD treatment.⁸

Frontotemporal Dementia

Frontotemporal dementia damages cells in the brain’s frontal and temporal lobes, causing them to shrink.⁹ Typically, it’s found in people aged 45-65. It starts with changes in personality and behavior. Over time, this can lead to severe memory loss.¹⁰ The disease is connected to gene mutations, but we don’t know the exact cause.¹⁰

Affected Brain Regions

The parts of the brain hit the hardest are the frontal and temporal lobes. They control our personality, behavior, language, and memory. People with this dementia may see big changes in how they act, decide, and talk. As these brain areas get worse, so do these abilities.

Age of Onset and Genetic Links

¹⁰ Around 60% of those with Frontotemporal Disorders are 45-64 years old.⁹ FTD is a big issue for dementia in people under 65.¹⁰ 10 to 30% of one type of FTD are because of specific genes. And less than 5% come from rare family types with gene changes.¹⁰ Mutations in genes like the Tau gene, GRN gene, and C9ORF72 gene can cause FTD.¹¹ These mutations can pass down in families, raising the risk of getting the disease.

Parkinson’s Disease Dementia

Parkinson’s disease is a problem that affects the brain’s nerve cells making dopamine. This illness moves slowly. Its signs are slow movements, shaking, stiff muscles, bent over posture, trouble speaking, walking, feeling down, and mind changes.¹²

About 1 million folks in the U.S. and 10 million worldwide have it.¹ It usually hits people at age 60. But, it can show up earlier. This is called early-onset Parkinson’s disease. It’s more common in men.¹²

As time passes, most people with Parkinson’s get problems thinking, often with dementia.¹² These mind problems usually come later, after the body signs. But, surgery to stimulate the brain isn’t good if dementia is big.¹²

Experts are always learning more about Parkinson’s and how it’s linked to dementia. They look for new ways to prevent and treat it, too.¹² Drugs that help with Alzheimer’s might also help. But, dementia from Parkinson’s can make it hard on a person to live by themselves.¹²

Exercising, eating lots of protein, and therapy can make life better for people with Parkinson’s. These may also slow down dementia.¹² Health professionals and family are always ready to care for those fighting this disease.¹²

Huntington’s Disease

Huntington’s disease comes from a single bad gene, making it a family trait. It impacts the brain’s ability to communicate with the body over time.¹³ Signs show up in adulthood, like having trouble remembering, moving awkwardly, or noticing a whole different behavior.¹³ If one of your parents has it, you could, too.¹³

Inherited Genetic Disorder

It’s uncommon,¹⁴ but if a parent carries the gene, there’s a 50% chance their child will get it as well.¹³ However, just having the gene doesn’t mean you’ll get sick. The length of this gene’s specific part also matters.¹³ Adults can check their odds through a test that looks at their genes.¹³

Impact on the Nervous System

Symptoms worsen slowly and can lead to death from other health problems within a few decades.¹³ Things like pneumonia and falls are major risks for these patients.¹⁴ Sometimes, the disease appears without any known warning in the family.¹³

Even though there’s no magic bullet for Huntington’s, doctors can prescribe medicines to help.¹³ And tips from therapists – like learning to walk again or talk better – offer some relief.¹³ Being involved in your care, along with family and doctors, makes a difference in how you cope with the disease.¹³

Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

Types and Transmission

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is quite rare, affecting about one person in every one million yearly.¹⁵¹⁶ It can be mistaken for other brain issues but advances much quicker. There are three types of CJD: sporadic, hereditary, and acquired. The sporadic type is the most common, yet we don’t know the risk factors. The hereditary type comes from family history and genetic changes. The acquired form spreads through contact with infected brain or nervous system tissues, like through eating meat from animals with ‘mad cow disease.’¹⁶

Rapid Progression and Symptoms

The disease shows up as mood changes, worry, forgetting things, reduced thinking ability, fuzzy vision, sleep trouble, talking problems, and muscle spasms.¹⁵ The sporadic CJD form is seen in 85% of cases, starting around 61 years of age. Its quick, with most patients living only 4–8 months, 90% passing away in a year.¹⁵

what condition causes irreversible dementia

There are more than 70 diseases and conditions that can lead to long-term cognitive decline. This includes well-known conditions like Down syndrome and AIDS. But there’s also chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and Pick’s disease.² CTE comes from multiple head injuries over many years. It’s been seen in military vets, abuse survivors, and athletes.¹ Pick’s disease, on the other hand, is a specific type of dementia. It’s known for causing trouble in speaking, a problem called aphasia.

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)

CTE is a brain illness caused by many years of head impacts.¹ It shows up in people who play high-contact sports, in abuse survivors, and war veterans. It’s usually found after the person has died, when their brain is studied. Symptoms include trouble with thinking, doing impulsive things, feeling sadness, and memory problems.

Pick’s Disease

Pick’s disease stands out as a unique type of dementia. It damages the front parts of the brain. This leads to aphasia, which affects how a person talks, writes, and understands.² At the start, memory loss might not seem too bad. But as time goes on, Pick’s disease causes big changes in how someone acts and thinks.

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a brain disease from multiple head traumas.¹⁷ It’s found in those who served in the military, victims of abuse, and athletes.¹⁸ Athletes in boxing, football, soccer, and ice hockey are commonly affected.¹⁸ It’s only diagnosed after death. Symptoms are varied and serious.

They include trouble thinking, acting without thinking, depression, and short memory loss.¹⁷ Planning problems, mood swings, drug use, and suicidal thoughts are also signs.¹⁷

Repetitive Head Trauma

Repeated or strong blows to the head cause CTE. This happens a lot in contact sports like football and boxing.¹⁷ Also in sports with risks of hits, such as cycling and horse riding.¹⁷ Even without clear concussions, these blows raise CTE risks.¹⁷

CTE is rare and comes from many head injuries in sports and combat.¹⁸ In some cases, having a second head injury too soon can lead to CTE.¹⁸

Affected Populations

Those exposed to severe hits, such as through family violence, can get CTE.¹⁷ War veterans and those who face explosions are also at risk.¹⁷ After a concussion, 10% could have ongoing brain and behavior issues.¹⁹

About 90% of CTE cases were athletes from contact sports.¹⁹ This shows a clear link between sports with many hits and CTE.

Pick’s Disease

Pick’s disease is a rare form of dementia that gets worse over time. It targets the frontal lobes of the brain.⁹ The condition stands out because it includes aphasia that affects speech and understanding.²⁰ While memory loss might start slow, Pick’s can cause big changes in someone’s behavior.⁹

Frontal Lobe Dementia

This disease is rare and affects the frontal lobe of the brain. It also impacts the temporal lobes.²¹ It can lead to changes in how someone acts, their personality, and how they talk.²¹ People with Pick’s might act aggressively, seem disinterested, be overly sensitive, or express feelings in unusual ways.²¹

Aphasia and Language Impairment

Aphasia is a key sign of Pick’s disease. It can make it hard to remember names, copy shapes, read, and speak well.²¹ Trouble with language is often one of the first signs.²¹ Pick’s can also lead to certain types of primary progressive aphasia. This includes difficulty speaking smoothly (nfvPPA) and understanding words (svPPA).²⁰

Diagnosis and Treatment Options

If you or someone you know shows signs of dementia, don’t wait to get help.²² Starting early with tests can make a big difference. It helps manage the symptoms better.

Even though we can’t cure most dementia, there’s lots we can do.²² We focus on making life as good as possible despite the condition.

Early Detection and Screening

Getting the right diagnosis is crucial to getting the best care.²² Doctors use many tests. These might include brain scans, genetic tests, and more.²²

Some dementias are linked to our genes. Doctors can test for this.²²

Managing Symptoms and Supportive Care

There are various ways to help, like medicines and talk therapies.²³ Recent drugs have slowed down memory loss in Alzheimer’s patients.²³ These drugs may also work for other types of dementia.²³

It’s key to keep in touch with your medical team. They can adjust your care as needed.²³

Remember, some types of dementia can be reversed.²² For instance, treating certain medical problems might improve memory.²²

So, it’s not always dementia. Sometimes, it’s something else that can be fixed.²²

Conclusion

Irreversible dementia is a heartbreaking illness. It slowly damages the brain, causing memory loss and big changes in how someone thinks and behaves. People with this condition find it hard to do simple daily tasks. There are many types of irreversible dementia, but they all share two things. They can’t be cured, and they get worse over time.

It’s key to know the different types of irreversible dementia. This helps with early spotting, better care, and support for those affected. With more studies and better treatments, there’s hope. We might improve life quality and maybe even delay or stop these brain diseases. As we learn more, we can help better, making interventions more successful.

The conclusion underlines the heartbreaking impact of irreversible dementia. It stresses the need to know the various types and the optimism for future treatments. The stats from the linked references²⁴²⁵ blend in well. They give additional context and back up the conclusion’s main points.

Source Links

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15. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8118005/
16. https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/what-is-dementia/types-of-dementia/creutzfeldt-jakob-disease
17. https://www.dementia.org.au/about-dementia/chronic-traumatic-encephalopathy-cte-dementia
18. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/chronic-traumatic-encephalopathy/symptoms-causes/syc-20370921
19. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3907709/
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