Expert: Paula Damgaard - 2/16/2004

Question
My wifes father lives in Italy.  Doctors claim he has Dimentia. What is the difference. he is very passive, has no short term memory, but can recall 30 yrs ago.  He has not become aggressive yet.  Is it possible he will digress and become aggressive?  Is this Alzheimers or Dimentia?  Explain to us the difference if you can. Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Answer
Dementia is a global term under which there are many types of dementias.  Tho in general when someone says the person has dementia they are referring to Alzheimer's.  There are over 75 causes for someone to dement.  Could be a neurological condition like AD, or Frontal Temperal Dementia, or a Lewy body dementia.  Other things like hypothyroidism can cause someone to be "demented".  Likewise people with diabetes or other diseases which affect a person's chemical makeup can cause them to be demented.  

It is not unusual for AD patients to be able to recall events that happened 30 years ago.  He may never become aggressive.  He will digress if he does have AD or any type of dementia.

My advise is to make sure that he has had a thorough physical and is seen by a neurologist to be sure that he has been worked up to rule out all the other causes of dementia.  Some of the causes are correctable if caught early.

Good luck and I hope this helps.  Paula