Comparing Dementia And Alzheimer's Disease

Patient Outlook

The patient outlook for Alzheimer's disease is fairly well-defined, while the outlook for dementia is incredibly varied. Patients with dementia will have different outlooks depending on the type of dementia they have, the damage it has done, whether the progression can be halted, and whether the effects are reversible. Parkinson's disease causes treatable dementia, but researchers don't yet know a way to slow or stop the progression. The same is true for Alzheimer's disease. Vascular dementia can sometimes be slowed, but it can't fully be stopped, and individuals with vascular dementia still have a shortened lifespan. There are some reversible types of dementia, but the majority of cases aren't reversible and also get progressively worse over time. Alzheimer's disease is terminal and doesn't have a cure right now. The average lifespan after diagnosis is between four and eight years. Individuals diagnosed after eighty don't tend to live as long. Some individuals have lived up to twenty years following their diagnosis. If individuals are concerned they or a loved one may have dementia, they should talk to a doctor.