Myths About Alzheimer’s: Answers for Your Family

Fact: Dementia is not a specific disease itself; rather, the term refers to a group of symptoms that can be caused by several different brain disorders. Dementia is characterized by impaired intellectual functioning such as memory loss, language difficulty, decreased perception, and impaired reasoning. Alzheimer’s disease is just one of many types of problems that are associated with dementia though it does account for between 60 to 80% of all cases of dementia.

Another difference between dementia and Alzheimer’s disease is that Alzheimer’s is degenerative and there is currently no cure. On the other hand, depending on the cause of the dementia, such as drug interactions or a vitamin deficiency, the symptoms of some types of dementia may be reversible.

Fact: While most people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease are age 65 and older, about 200,000 Americans under age 65 are diagnosed each year with early-onset (also called younger-onset) Alzheimer’s.

When people are in their 40s or 50s, doctors may not consider Alzheimer’s disease and it may take a long time to get an accurate diagnosis. Symptoms are of early-onset Alzheimer’s may be attributed to stress, menopause, or depression in younger people.

Fact: Some memory loss happens to most of us as we age, but memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s interferes with daily life and is a more serious problem. In the early stages, people with Alzheimer’s may forget information they recently learned, they may forget important dates or events, and they may ask the same questions over and over. As the disease progresses, people will eventually become disoriented, confused, and may be unable to carry out routine daily tasks. In the later stages people with Alzheimer’s lose the ability to eat and talk, and they may become totally dependent on others for care. Ask your doctor for clarification if you’d like to know the difference between Alzheimer’s myths and facts.