Causes of Dementia
Cause details for Dementia: The risk of developing AD increases with age, but AD and dementia symptoms are not a part of normal aging. AD and other dementing disorders in old age are caused by diseases. In the absence of a disease, the human brain often can function well into the tenth decade of life and beyond. 1
Underlying condition causes of Dementia: The list of possible underlying conditions (see also Misdiagnosis of underlying causes of Dementia) mentioned in various sources as possible causes of Dementia includes:
- Dementia
- Delirium - see also causes of delirium (similar symptoms to dementia)
- Alzheimer's disease
- Stroke
- Multi-Infarct Dementia
- Dementia With Lewy Bodies
- Parkinson's disease
- Huntington's disease
- Familial Alzheimer's disease (type of Alzheimer's Disease) - rare early-onset genetic Alzheimer's.
- Down syndrome
- Akinetic-rigid syndromes
- Pick's disease
- Vascular dementia
- Certain metabolic or hormonal disorders:
- Hypothyroidism
- Myxedema
- Kidney disease
- Liver disease
- Wilson's disease
- Hypothyroidism
- Vitamin B12 deficiency
- Acute intermittent porphyris
- Chronic hypoglycemia
- Certain cerebellar ataxias
- Brain disorders
- Head injury
- Subdural hematoma
- Frontal brain tumor
- Chronic meningitis
- Encephalitis
- Brain tumor
- CNS tumor
- Hydrocephalus
- Low-press hydrocephalus
- Posterior fossa
- Meningioma
- Paraneoplastic syndromes (type of Bizarre medical conditions)
- Prion diseases
- Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
- Parkinson's disease
- Mitochondrial encephalopathies (type of Mitochondrial diseases)
- Tertiary syphilis (type of Syphilis)
- Neurosyphilis
- Substance causes of dementia include:
- Certain poisons
- Alcoholism
- Substance intoxication
- Substance withdrawal
- Certain drugs
- Drug interactions (type of Adverse reaction)
- Certain infections or inflammations:
- HIV
- AIDS
- Inflammation
- Vasculitis
- SLE
- Sarcoid
- Multiple sclerosis
- Syphilis
- Whipple's disease
- Any other condition that may cause behavioral changes such as:
- High fever (see Fever)
- Lead poisoning
- Mercury poisoning
- Manganese poisoning
- Kidney disease
- Liver disease
- Drug interactions (type of Adverse reaction)
- Other causes of dementia, dementia symptoms or behavioral changes
- drug adverse reaction
- Drug interactions (type of Adverse reaction)
- Vitamin deficiencies
- See also causes of dementia, misdiagnosis of dementia, drugs causing dementia, and misdiagnosis of Alzheimer's disease
Dementia as a complication: Other conditions that might have Dementia as a complication might be potential underlying causes of Dementia. The list of conditions listing Dementia as a complication in our database includes:
Dementia as a symptom: Conditions listing Dementia as a symptom may also be potential underlying causes of Dementia. The list of conditions listing Dementia as a symptom in our database includes:
- Alexander Syndrome
- Alpers Syndrome
- Binswanger's Disease
- Cerebral Atrophy
- Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
- Dementia
- Fahr's Syndrome
- Hallervorden-Spatz disease
- Metachromatic Leukodystrophy
- Mitochondrial diseases
- Rasmussen's Encephalitis
- Schilder's Disease
- Tay Sachs
Causes of Dementia: medical news summaries: The following medical news items are relevant to causes of Dementia:
- Blood pressure and cholesterol drugs may greatly benefit some dementia sufferers
- Dementia more prevalent in black Americans
- Dementia risk factors determined
- HIV patients face increased risk of diabetes and dementia
- Hypothyroidism frequently misdiagnosed or undiagnosed
- Mad cow disease may be misdiagnosed as dementia or Alzheimers
- Maintaining a healthy brain may reduce dementia risk
Related information for causes of Dementia:
Further relevant information on causes of Dementia may be found
in the risk factors for Dementia
and underlying causes of Dementia.
Footnotes:
1. excerpt from NIA's Progress Report on Alzheimer's Disease, 1998: NIA
Last revision:
July 1, 2003
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