There are two forms of dementia that are most common, Elizabeth Tracey reports

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Dementia encompasses quite a few conditions, including Alzheimer’s but also frontotemporal, Lewy body, and vascular dementia, and others. Halima Amjad, a dementia expert at Johns Hopkins, says two of these types are seen most often.

Amjad: We actually think that mixed dementia so having more than one cause to explain what's happening is second only to Alzheimer's. What separates Alzheimer's disease from the other types of dementias, one is the pathological difference what's happening what's causing the disease at a microscopic level. Sometimes it's what areas of the brain are affected first and all of that can affect clinical differences, differences in the symptoms that we see in the person who has dementia especially early on.  :30

Amjad says that the good news is that more agents are being developed to interrupt the process of brain changes resulting in dementia, so pinpointing the exact type someone has is important. Understanding each dementia type should also allow specific prevention strategies to be developed. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.