HealthTree Blog

Not all people who are diagnosed with dementia will develop Alzheimer’s. In the same vein, not all dementia is caused by Alzheimer’s. It is possible for some people to suffer from certain types of dementia that are not related to Alzheimer’s at all. These include forms of dementia that were caused by traumatic head injury or by an illness such as stroke or aneurysm.

In these cases, the risk for the dementia to degenerate into Alzheimer’s may be increased; however, it does not mean that the person will necessarily contract Alzheimer’s. The signs of non-Alzheimer’s dementia and dementia associated with Alzheimer’s are unfortunately similar, which is sometimes why a person may be erroneously diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. However, in the case of Alzheimer’s, the dementia progressively worsens, and specific physical signs also begin to be manifested. 

Non-Alzheimer’s dementia may reach a certain point and stop. There may even be slight improvement in those who have non-Alzheimer’s dementia, especially if it is determined that there was an underlying cause of the dementia and steps are taken to remedy the situation.

 A health care professional can determine if dementia that cannot be traced to a specific cause is indeed a symptom of early-stage Alzheimer’s. He or she can do so by listening to a careful description of all symptoms, and inquiring about the existence of Alzheimer’s in other family members.