Dementia (dih-MEN-chuh) is a group of symptoms that can be caused by a number of disorders that affect the brain. Signs of dementia may include:
Memory loss
Problems carrying out normal daily activities, such as not remembering to take your medicines
Getting lost in familiar places
Changes in personality, such as becoming short-tempered and hostile
Delusions, such as thinking that someone is stealing from you when they are not
Losing the ability to recognize family members
Losing the ability to speak
Although memory loss is a common sign of dementia, memory loss by itself does not mean that you have dementia. People with dementia have serious problems with two or more brain functions, such as memory and language.
Dementia can occur for many reasons. Some diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease and Huntington's disease, cause a gradual loss of mental function over time. With stroke, dementia symptoms can start all at once. In some cases of permanent dementia, medicines can improve symptoms or slow down the disease, but they cannot cure dementia or repair brain damage. Dementia-like symptoms that result from a head injury, infection, or bad reaction to medication might go away once the underlying problem is treated.
How dementia affects a person's everyday functioning depends greatly on how mild or severe the symptoms are. People with moderate or advanced dementia typically need round-the-clock care and supervision to prevent them from harming themselves or others. They also may need assistance with daily activities such as eating, bathing, and dressing.
Dementia With Lewy Bodies Information Page - This online publication gives information on dementia with Lewy bodies. It explains what it is, how it can be controlled, and what research is being done to further understand the disease.
Dementia: Hope Through Research - This brochure provides information about dementia. It includes the different types of dementia, other conditions that can cause dementia, treatment options, and the latest research that is being conducted for dementia.
NINDS Alzheimer's Disease Information Page - This online publication offers information about Alzheimer's disease. It reviews treatment, prognosis, resources, and the latest research being done.
NINDS Frontotemporal Dementia Information Page - This online publication explains frontotemporal dementia, once known as Pick’s disease, and reviews treatment, prognosis, research, and resources.
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Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health
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