Types of dementia

Vascular dementia is the second most common type of dementia in Scotland.

About 20% of people with dementia have vascular dementia. Another 20% have vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease at the same time.

People with vascular dementia often have a series of small strokes. These strokes are so small that they are generally not aware of them. The strokes can interrupt the blood supply to the brain, resulting in damage that causes dementia. The gaps between the strokes can be weeks, months or longer.

Like Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia often affects the person’s memory and their ability to recognise things and people. If it is caused by strokes, the person’s symptoms can get worse suddenly. Afterwards they may improve slightly or remain stable until they have another stroke.

Dementia with Lewy Bodies is a common form of dementia but many people have never heard of it.

The person’s short-term memory may be not be affected to begin with and their abilities may vary from day to day.

Its symptoms aren’t as easy to identify as Alzheimer’s disease, so it can be hard to diagnose. Symptoms that might make a doctor think that someone has dementia with Lewy Bodies are:

• Hallucinations
• Fluctuating cognition
• Symptoms similar to Parkinson’s disease.

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a complex progressive condition of the brain which can affect behaviour, personality and language.

FTD occurs less often than other types of dementia like Alzheimer’s Disease or vascular dementia. It is generally diagnosed in people between the ages of 45 and 65.

The three main types of FTD are:

• Behavioural variant FTD (bvFTD)
• Language variant FTD, including Progressive Non Fluent Aphasia (PNFA)
• Semantic dementia