Dementia: causes
Common causes
Rarer causes (c. 5% of cases)
Important differentials, potentially treatable
- Alzheimer's disease
- Cerebrovascular disease: multi-infarct dementia (c. 10-20%)
- Lewy body dementia (c. 10-20%)
Rarer causes (c. 5% of cases)
- Huntington's
- CJD
- Pick's disease (atrophy of frontal and temporal lobes)
- HIV (50% of AIDS patients)
Important differentials, potentially treatable
- hypothyroidism, Addison's
- B12/folate/thiamine deficiency
- syphilis
- brain tumour
- normal pressure hydrocephalus
- subdural haematoma
- depression
- chronic drug use e.g. Alcohol, barbiturates