Dementia is not a specific disease but is rather a general term for the impaired ability to remember, think, or make decisions that interfere with everyday activities.
Though dementia mostly affects older adults, it is not a part of normal aging.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia.
It is a progressive disease beginning with mild memory loss and possibly leading to loss of the ability to carry on a conversation and respond to the environment.
Alzheimer’s disease involves parts of the brain that control thought, memory, and language. It can seriously affect a person’s ability to carry out daily activities.
In a study from Cleveland Clinic, scientists found that initial memory problems are linked with a slower rate of decline in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
They analyzed longitudinal data from 2,400 patients in the National Alzheimer Coordinating Center database to compare rates of decline in patients with Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy Body Dementia and mixed dementia.
The team found that people with initial symptoms such as language difficulties or judgment changes had a more rapid course of disease than those with memory loss alone.
This is the first study to evaluate the impact of the nature of early cognitive symptoms on the future rate of cognitive decline.
These results hold importance in both designing future clinical trials design and individual patient management among dementia patients.
If you care about Alzheimer’s, please read studies about daytime napping strongly linked to Alzheimer’s disease, and how to treat mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies about alternative drug strategy against Alzheimer’s disease, and these antioxidants could help reduce dementia risk.
The study was conducted by Jagan Pillai et al and published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association.
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