By Ehren Frey, Esquire
In light of June being Alzheimer’s Awareness month, it is important for families to understand how the disease may impact a loved one.
According to the National Institutes of Health, this neurological condition affects one in seven adults over age 71.
Alzheimer’s disease is one type of dementia, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”), it accounts for 60 to 80 percent of all dementia cases and most occur when people reach their 70s and 80s. The other types of dementia are distinct from Alzheimer’s disease and are known as vascular dementia and Lewy body dementia. Alzheimer’s disease differs from these other diseases involving dementia when it comes to its symptoms, effects on the brain, and treatments.
Alzheimer’s Disease
As stated above, the most prevalent type of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease, which is the fifth-leading cause of death for adults 65 and over. The illness is marked by difficulty remembering recent events. An individual with Alzheimer’s disease may be able to tell you about their childhood in detail but not about the previous day’s events. As the condition progresses, people can have challenges walking and talking and may experience personality changes.
Physicians believe that a buildup of proteins in the brain causes Alzheimer’s. The disease degrades neurons and their connections in parts of the brain involved in memory. It also leads to lesions forming in the brain, preventing those affected from storing new memories. As the disease progresses, the brain shrinks. To treat Alzheimer’s, doctors prescribe medicine targeting the lesions in the brain.
In some cases, people can inherit a genetic predisposition for the condition. According to the CDC, a parent with Alzheimer’s increases a person’s risk by between 10 percent and 30 percent. However, the Alzheimer’s Society reports that the genetic link is more robust in early-onset Alzheimer’s. Adults with early-onset Alzheimer’s begin to show symptoms in their 60s.
Lewy Body Dementia
After Alzheimer’s, Lewy body dementia (“LBD”) is the second most common type of dementia. LBD impairs areas of the brain involved in problem-solving and reasoning. It is related to Parkinson’s disease, a neurological disorder affecting movement.
Symptoms of LBD include:
• Disruption in rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep, where most dreaming occurs;
• Poor regulation of body functions due to problems with the autonomic nervous system;
• Movement difficulties, such as rigid muscles and slow movement;
• Visual hallucinations;
• Cognitive issues, such as confusion, diminished attention, and memory loss
In the brain, an abnormal buildup of proteins, known as Lewy bodies, causes LBD. These proteins are related to Parkinson’s. People with LBD also have the same kind of brain lesions as those with Alzheimer’s. When individuals receive an LBD diagnosis, physicians often prescribe medications for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Similar to Alzheimer’s, advanced age is the most significant predictor of LBD. However, a stroke increases a person’s risk of developing the disease.
Vascular Dementia
Although vascular dementia shares symptoms with Alzheimer’s disease, such as memory loss, there are significant distinctions. The characteristic symptom of vascular dementia is slow speaking and thinking, as well as trouble with problem-solving. Vascular dementia can happen when a stroke blocks a blood vessel in the brain. In many cases, more strokes follow, and the symptoms become more severe with each additional stroke.
Treating vascular dementia typically encompasses treating the underlying conditions. People who have vascular dementia tend to experience symptoms earlier than those with Alzheimer’s, commonly between ages 60 and 75.
Other Types of Dementia
In addition to Alzheimer’s, LBD, and vascular dementia, many other types of dementia exist, including, Frontotemporal dementia; Creutzfeldt-
Jakob disease; Huntington’s disease.
To learn more about Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders, reach out to your Alzheimer’s Association chapter. For help with long-term care planning due to a dementia diagnosis, contact a local attorney with Zacharia Brown.
Ehren Frey, Esquire
Ehren is an Associate Attorney at the Bonita Springs office of Zacharia Brown Estate Planning and Elder Law Firm. He counsels clients in estate and asset protection planning, Medicaid eligibility for long term care, and Florida probate, including Homestead. He also brings many years of experience as a complex commercial litigator to the Firm.
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