Dementia is a term for a loss of ability in memory, with problems in motion, speech, organization, or recognition. What ability is affected and when, depends on the cause of the dementia. Dementia is the correct term for what used to be called senility. There are many physical reasons for dementia. Aging itself does not cause dementia. Dementias are more common among the elderly, but can strike when people are in their forties or fifties. Some can even affect children. There are dozens of medical problems that can result in dementia. Many of the conditions are treatable, while others are not.

The most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer's disease. Few people get this before age 50. By age 65, about 3 percent of people have this disease. By age 85, over 20 percent of people have this disease. This is a slow disease. It usually starts out with people having trouble learning new things or forgetting very recent events. It then goes on getting worse for several years. Alzheimer's usually causes death in about ten years. There is no medical test for Alzheimer's. If you or someone you know is diagnosed, make sure you get that diagnosis confirmed. Experts suspect that as many as half of those diagnosed with Alzheimer's may actually have something else. Overmedication, dehydration, and major depression can all look like Alzheimer's in an elderly person, and all of these are treatable. If you are concerned, ask the primary healthcare provider about a referral to a neurologist or neuropsychologist. You can call the Alzheimer's Association at (800) 272-3900 for more information.

Other dementias are usually easier to diagnose. The second leading cause of dementia is dementia due to strokes, usually called vascular dementia or multi-infarct dementia. This type of dementia will usually show up on medical tests like an MRI or a CT scan. Many times, people will recover some functioning when they have dementia following a stroke. It is important that a stroke victim get medical treatment as quickly as possible, to reduce possible damage. Other common causes of dementia include Pick's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, AIDS dementia and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

If you have changes in your memory, don't delay, see a health care provider right away. Your problem may be treatable.

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