2010: Alzheimer's Facts and Figures (part 4)

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Alzheimer's Association


Causes of Dementia

Although Alzheimer’s disease is the most common
form of dementia, data are emerging to suggest that
the attribution of dementia to specific types may not
be as clear cut as previously believed.(29) A study by
Schneider and colleagues reports that most older
community-dwelling people (mean age at death,
approximately 88 years) have changes in the brain
suggestive of disease. People with dementia often
have evidence of multiple types of brain disease.(30)
Of the first 141 autopsies in this study, 80 examined
brain tissue samples from people with intermediate
or high likelihood of having Alzheimer’s based on
clinical evaluation, which included medical history,
neuropsychological tests and physical examination
with an emphasis on neurologic function. Less
than half of the 80 autopsies showed evidence of
Alzheimer’s alone. Nearly a third showed evidence
of Alzheimer’s and infarcts; 15 percent showed
evidence of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease/Lewy
body disease; 5 percent showed evidence of all three
diseases; and 2.5 percent showed evidence of
Alzheimer’s and a brain disease other than infarcts
or Parkinson’s disease/Lewy body disease. Although
50 percent of participants with little or no likelihood
of having Alzheimer’s disease based on clinical
evaluation also had no evidence of dementia on
autopsy, approximately one-third showed signs of
brain infarcts. Thus, there is reason to believe that the
causes of dementia may be much more complicated
than originally believed