Dementia is a progressive loss of mental function due to certain diseases that affect the brain.
The losses are substantial. Over time, all types of dementia will lead to loss of memory, loss of reasoning and judgment, personality and behavioral changes, physical decline, and death.
But the course dementia takes can vary widely from person to person. It’s influenced by many factors, including age and other conditions a person may have.
Sixty to 80 percent of U.S. dementia cases are caused by Alzheimer’s disease. That’s about 5.3 million people. The next most common dementias are vascular dementia, or tiny strokes in the brain, and Lewy Body dementia where alpha-synuclein protein lodges in certain regions of the brain.
