Although thanks to technological and medical advances the life prognosis for people has increased considerably, there are certain cons due to the appearance of various alterations that can be suffered by the number of years lived. Among them, disorders that affect memory stand out, of which the best known are senile dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Both alterations are syndromes that affect the brain due to its deterioration and cause a great change in essential functions such as reason and memory, in addition to presenting some similar symptoms that can lead to believe that it is the same pathology, but this is not the case. . Sometimes it can be difficult to distinguish between them and it is necessary for the specialist to perform a series of tests to determine the type of neurodegenerative disease that is suffered. Meanwhile, in the following FastlyHealarticle we want you to know the main differences between senile dementia and Alzheimer’s .
Table of Contents
What does senile dementia mean
The term senile dementia is known as a disorder that causes the deterioration of various capacities of intellectual functioning along with memory and reasoning. The degree of this alteration can be partial or complete and is characterized by being a pathology that affects various parts of the brain related to perception, language, judgment, among other symptoms caused by non-existent communication between nerve cells. It is because of all the above that patients with this disease encounter difficulties in daily life and, in advanced stages, become totally dependent people.
Although it is an alteration that is generally suffered by advanced age , said deterioration does not differentiate between sex or age, so anyone can suffer it and, because of this, its etiology has been modified today; However, the term senile dementia is used only for those who are affected after 65 years of life, while in other cases it is simply considered dementia.
Among the most common symptoms of senile dementia are:
- The erosion of social skills.
- Changes in the patient’s personality.
- Difficulty remembering names of common objects.
- Problems to memorize.
- Loss of judgment so you are not able to tell if your actions are dangerous.
- Sleep stage disorders due to starting with delusions or hallucinations.
What is Alzheimer’s disease
The disease known as Alzheimer’s is a brain disorder that causes various problems with thinking, memory, and character . It is the most common form of dementia, representing between 60 and 80% of all cases. This neurodegenerative pathology has a progressive and insidious course with still unknown causes, but factors such as genetics and various brain lesions are involved.
Alzheimer’s can appear at a much younger age than senile dementia and the symptoms worsens as the disease progresses, which can lead to the death of the patient in some cases. Despite having many similarities, there are some differences that we will detail below between senile dementia and Alzheimer’s.
What is the difference between Alzheimer’s and senile dementia
Both senile dementia and Alzheimer’s are diseases that are categorized as neurological and, at the same time, both are irreversible and degenerative , making the patient unable to return to their normal state, reversing the damage under any type of treatment, however, the The main difference is that Alzheimer’s can lead to the death of the patient due to the great deterioration, while those who suffer from senile dementia can continue living with this pathology for the rest of their lives.
Another major difference between senile dementia and Alzheimer’s is that the cause of the latter is not known , while senile dementia can have as main causes:
- Age.
- Drug use
- Having suffered tumors.
- Strong infections.
- Pathologies such as Parkinson’s disease or similar.
On the other hand, Alzheimer’s and senile dementia patients have the same perception of reality, although the symptoms may vary depending on the state of the pathology. This is why, although both disorders are included in the term dementia, the characteristics and symptoms make them different.
This article is merely informative, at FastlyHeal .com we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any type of diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any type of condition or discomfort.
If you want to read more articles similar to Differences between senile dementia and Alzheimer’s , we recommend that you enter our category of Mental disorders .
I am a Surgeon with a diploma in comprehensive ultrasound and surgical care residency, an area I am specializing in. During the exercise of my profession, I have realized the need for patients to know the diseases they suffer, and I can tell you that a large part of their complications is due to a lack of information. Being a health web writer allows me to transmit my experience, without borders, to all those readers eager for knowledge, educate them in the prevention of diseases and promote a healthy lifestyle.