Knowing the correct diagnosis can help to prepare for the next steps. GETTY IMAGES
When people talk about dementia, Alzheimer's disease often automatically comes to mind. That's not surprising since it's the most common type of dementia, affecting 5 million Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
But with more than 100 dementia causes, Alzheimer's shouldn't be assumed. Along with Alzheimer's, Lewy body and vascular dementia – the kind related to stroke – make up the top three types of dementia affecting older adults.
"It's important to know the correct diagnosis so the family and patient can be prepared for what the next steps are in the disease," says neurologist Dr. James Galvin, a professor and associate dean of the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University. "And each of the different dementias has different symptoms, a different rate of progression and, in some cases, a different treatment approach."
Six years ago, Donald Flanagan died of Lewy body dementia at 79. However, his initial diagnosis was Parkinson's disease, which wasn't changed until four years later, says Cathy Flanagan, who now runs a support group in central Massachusetts for Lewy body caregivers.
"My husband had some Parkinson's symptoms, but he wasn't responding to the Parkinson's meds the way a normal Parkinson's patient would," Cathy Flanagan says. "Then he started to have more psychiatric symptoms. The delusions and hallucinations." Finally, the correct diagnosis was made.
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