Types of Dementia

There are many different forms of dementia and each has its own causes. Alzheimer's Disease is the most common form of dementia, accounting for between 50% and 70% of all dementias.

The effects of the different types of dementia are similar, but not identical, as each one tends to affect different parts of the brain.

Here are the most common forms of dementia :

AIDS related dementia
Alcohol related dementia

Alzheimer's disease, has two forms :

Familial Alzheimer's Disease (FAD), also known as Early Onset Alzheimer's or Younger Onset Alzheimer's.
Sporadic Alzheimer's Disease, also known as Late Onset Alzheimer's. See section below.

Dementia with Lewy bodies: Another common form of dementia, sharing many similarities with Alzheimer's disease.

Down syndrome: Research has established a link between Down syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease.

Frontal lobe dementia, including Pick's disease.

Vascular Dementia: The second most common cause of dementia, after Alzheimer's disease.

Vascular Dementia is the second most common cause of dementia, after Alzheimer's disease. Previously, this form of dementia was known as multiinfarct dementia. Vascular Dementia is associated with problems in the circulation of blood to the brain causing a deterioration of mental abilities as a result of multiple strokes, or infarcts, in the brain.

A stroke refers to the death of a piece of brain tissue because the blood vessels which supply it are blocked or interrupted.

These strokes may cause damage to specific areas of the brain responsible for speech or language as well as producing generalized symptoms of dementia. Therefore Vascular Dementia may produce similar symptoms to Alzheimer’s Disease. A mixture of Alzheimer’s Disease and Vascular Dementia is a common cause of dementia, and it can sometimes be difficult to separate the two.