What's the difference between alzheimer's and dementia?

It is one: Alzheimer s is one very prevalent type of dementia. Dementia is a syndrome, whereas Alzheimer's s is a discreet entity with its own (not necessarily entirely understood) pathogenesis, ethiology and treatment modalities.

Alz. is sub-type: Alzheimer's is a specific type of dementia. (for example, if your doctor said 'you have an infection'. Your natural follow-up question to him/her would be"what kind of infection?" same concept with "dementia" "well doctor what kind of dementia?" alzheimer's beeing the most commlon sub-type recognized to date.

AD is a dementia: Dementia describes a collection of brain symptoms including memory impairment, problems using or understanding words, loss of functioning and judgement and other symptoms. Alzheimers disease is the most common type of dementia, nearly 70% of those with dementia have alzheimers and age is the biggest risk factor. Other types of dementia include vascular, lewy body, alcoholic, and parkinsons.

Alzheimer: Alzheimer is one type of dementia where cognitive deficits are not directly caused by identifiable organic etiology.

Same many times: Dementia is a syndrome with symptoms of memory loss and progressive decline in functioning. It is of many types, the most common type is alzheimer's dementia, cause here is unknown, the next common is multi infarct dementia usually seen in patients who have multiple strokes.

The cause or the: Pathology of the illness, meaning vascular dementias are caused by blood vessel problems rather than plaque formation, but lewy bodies are not plaques.

Progress & cause: Dementia is brain failure & ad is the common cause followed by vascular , mixed etc with a small percentage of reversible like hypothyroid, pernicious anemia etc.In the real world , in my opinion differentian is primarily academia.

Pathogenesis: Different dementias have different types of mechanisms that cause damage to the brain. Alzheimer's is a degenerative disease. Vascular dementia is due to small strokes. Vitamin deficiency is treatable cause if dementia, as are some other metabolic issue, e.g., thyroid disease. Other dementias have different pathologic processes.