Dementia, Alzheimer’s or just brain fog? How to tell the difference here
While dementia and brain fogs may appear the same in some symptoms, they vary greatly in their underlying causes and nature.
In short
- Defective affects memory and social skills severely
- Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia due to cell damage
- Brain fog is temporary and is often caused by stress or disease
For years, conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease were often distinguished in India as “old age” issues or even wrong for personality changes.
Now, with increasing awareness and better healthcare access, family and doctors are starting to identify them because medical concerns have reported close to the house which are worth noting on time.
According to the Alzheimer’s and related Disorder Society of India (ARDSI), currently over 5.3 million Indian dementia is living, and the country is expected to be triple by 2050 due to the country’s aging population.
Dementia vs Alzheimer’s: What is the difference?
While people often use mutual words, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are not the same thing.
Dementia is an umbrella word, used to describe a group of symptoms that affect memory, thinking and social abilities that are seriously sufficient to interfere with daily life. This occurs when cells in the brain slowly start dying.
In dementia, symptoms may cause forgetting disease, confusion, difficulty speaking, difficulty in understanding interactions, stretching and changing behavior.
Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia, which is accounting for 60% to 70% of all dementia in the world.
Think dementia as a disease and one of the main causes of Alzheimer’s.
There are other forms of dementia, such as vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia and levy body dementia. Each has different causes and symptoms.
In Alzheimer’s disease, the brain undergoes physical changes, including the formation of abnormal proteins that gradually damage and kill brain cells.
It leads to progressive memory loss, confusion and change in personality and behavior.
While dementia can strike in the 60s and more, the symptoms are now striking as a young man from the 40s, known as the dementia of young-evil.
Where does the brain fog fit?
Unlike dementia and Alzheimer’s, brain fog is not a medical diagnosis, but a word people use to describe the temporary state of mental clouds.
It can struggle to focus difficulty, oblivion, or find words. Brain fog can be triggered by stress, lack of sleep, hormonal changes, or disease, including Kovid -19 effects or after long covids.
Brain fog is usually reversible, but does not cause dementia because it is a brain-skin disease. Brain fog may imitate some symptoms of dementia, such as confusion, forget the instructions of what you are doing.
It can also be caused by the side effects of a disease or drug or symptoms of an underlying condition, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Brain fog feels difficulty focusing, confusion, fatigue, forgetting disease, losing your train of thought, mental exhaustion, not the right word, slow thought process and response time and trouble in paying time and attention.
In some cases, many lifestyle factor can trigger brain fog, signaling brain tumors, which may initially manifest with microscopic cognitive symptoms.
Initial diagnosis can create a difference
While there is no cure for dementia or Alzheimer’s, early diagnosis can help improve slow progress and improve the quality of life.
The sooner it is detected, the better management can be done, whether it is a change in drug, lifestyle, or careful support.
Simple signs such as repeatedly forgetting appointments, wronging, repeating questions, or removing social activities should not be ignored, especially if they deteriorate over time.
Meanwhile, the brain fog, although miller, may still be disruptive. Its treatment is often improving sleep, managing stress and fixing nutritional deficiencies (vitamin D or B12). If this remains, a medical evaluation can rule for more serious reasons.
