11 Key Differences Between Dementia And Alzheimer's Disease

5. Patient Outlook

The patient outlook for Alzheimer's disease is fairly well-defined, while the outlook for dementia is incredibly varied. Patients with dementia will have different outlooks depending on the type of dementia they have, the damage it has done, whether the progression can be halted, and whether the effects are reversible. Parkinson's disease causes treatable dementia, but researchers don't yet know a way to slow or stop the progression. The same is true for Alzheimer's disease. Vascular dementia can sometimes be slowed, but it can't fully be stopped, and individuals with vascular dementia still have a shortened lifespan. There are some reversible types of dementia, but the majority of cases aren't reversible and also get progressively worse over time. Alzheimer's disease is terminal and doesn't have a cure right now. The average lifespan after diagnosis is between four and eight years. Individuals diagnosed after eighty don't tend to live as long. Some individuals have lived up to twenty years following their diagnosis. If individuals are concerned they or a loved one may have dementia, they should talk to a doctor.

6. Causes and Risk Factors

While Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia share some overlapping risk factors—such as age, genetics, and lifestyle choices—the root causes often differ. Alzheimer’s is linked to the buildup of beta-amyloid plaques and tau tangles in the brain, which interfere with communication between nerve cells and eventually lead to their death. In contrast, vascular dementia is caused by reduced blood flow to the brain, often due to strokes or small vessel disease. Lewy body dementia involves abnormal protein deposits known as Lewy bodies, while frontotemporal dementia arises from degeneration in the brain’s frontal and temporal lobes. Understanding these distinct causes is vital because it shapes both the prognosis and the treatment approach for each condition.