2016 Volume 33 Issue 2 Pages 125-130
Various diseases including Alzheimer's disease (AD), vascular dementia (VaD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), etc. cause dementia. Accurate diagnosis of dementia is essential to provide appropriate treatment. Routine diagnostic steps include a careful history taking, mental status screening, neurological examinations, laboratory and imaging studies, and neuropsychologic testing.
AD accounts for more than half of all cases of dementia. Many researchers believe AD is caused by the accumulation of amyloid beta protein and tau protein in the brain, leading to memory loss, changes in judgment and other behavioral changes characteristic of AD. Other pathophysiological changes in the brain could evoke other forms of dementia as well.
Understanding the characteristic features and pathology of each type of dementia could be useful in the accurate diagnosis of patients for the appropriate treatment and support services.
This paper outlines the characteristics of major dementia useful for differential diagnosis, in addition to their current treatments.
