According to the Alzheimer’s Association 2024 Special Report, Alzheimer’s disease is a type of brain disease caused by damage to nerve cells (neurons) in the brain. The brain’s neurons are essential to all human activity, including thinking, talking, and walking. Alzheimer’s begins 20 years or more before memory loss and other symptoms develop.

What is Alzheimer’s Disease?

“Alzheimer’s is a neurodegenerative disease and the most commonly developed form of dementia,” said Nancy Mitchell, RN, a contributing writer at Assisted Living Center. “The condition arises due to permanent damage to cells in the hippocampus—the part of the brain responsible for our memories.”

Symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease

• Memory loss that makes daily life difficult
• Difficulty with financial responsibilities
• Difficulty completing routine tasks at home
• Lack of good judgment
• Being unable to find misplaced items
• Behavior changes, like changes in personality or mood

Alzheimer’s Disease or Dementia?

There’s a difference between Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

• Alzheimer’s disease is one cause of dementia. The brain changes of Alzheimer’s disease include the excessive accumulation of the protein fragment beta-amyloid and an abnormal form of the protein tau, as well as damage to and destruction of neurons. The brain changes of Alzheimer’s disease are the most common contributor to dementia. Dementia caused by Alzheimer’s disease is called Alzheimer’s dementia.
• Dementia is an overall term for a particular group of symptoms. The characteristic symptoms of dementia are:
  • Memory Loss
  • Cognitive Decline
  • Irritability and Mood Swings
  • Withdrawal from Social Activities
  • Loss of Interest in Hobbies and Pursuits
  • Difficulty with Daily Tasks

Types of Dementia

There are more than 100 types of dementia. Alzheimer’s disease and Vascular dementia are the most common. Other types include:

• Lewy body dementia: An umbrella term for conditions that include Parkinson’s disease dementia, characterized by abnormal deposits of alpha-synuclein protein in the brain.
• Frontotemporal dementia: Abnormal amounts of tau and TDP-43 proteins build up in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain.
• Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: A rare, fatal brain disorder that usually occurs after age 60. It’s caused by deposits of prions, which are unusual proteins that trigger brain cell death.
• Younger-onset dementia: Dementia that develops in people under the age of 65.
• Alcohol-related brain injury (ARBI): Damage to the brain caused by regularly consuming alcohol at risky levels.
• HIV-associated dementia: A brain condition linked to the Human Immunodeficiency Virus.
• Primary progressive aphasia (PPA): A rare type of dementia that damages parts of the brain that control language, personality, emotions, and behavior.

Speak to your healthcare provider today.

We’re here for you, when you need us.

Boulder City Hospital

901 Adams Boulevard, Boulder City, NV 90005
Phone: (702) 293-4111