Dementia

Vascular dementia

The symptoms of vascular dementia can develop suddenly and quickly worsen. Or they can develop gradually over many months and plateau.

Symptoms include:

• increasing difficulties with tasks and activities that require concentration and planning, 
• memory loss, 
• depression, 
• changes in personality and mood, 
• periods of mental confusion, 
• low attention span, 
• urinary incontinence, 
• stroke-like symptoms, such as muscle weakness or paralysis on one side of the body, 
• wandering during the night, and 
• slow and unsteady gait (the way that you walk).

Symptoms of dementia with Lewy bodies

The symptoms of dementia with Lewy bodies usually develop gradually but get more severe over the course of many years.

The symptoms of dementia with Lewy bodies include:

• memory loss, 
• low attention span, 
• periods of mental confusion, 
• delusions (believing in things that are not true), 
• difficulty planning ahead, 
• muscle stiffness, 
• slower movement, 
• shaking and trembling of arms and legs, 
• shuffling while walking, 
• problems sleeping, 
• loss of facial expression, and 
• visual hallucinations (seeing things that are not there). Usually people will see other people or animals that are not real.

Symptoms of frontotemporal dementia

Frontotemporal dementia is caused by damage to the parts of the brain that help control emotional responses and behaviour. Therefore, many of the initial symptoms of frontotemporal dementia involve changes in emotion, personality and behaviour, rather than the problems with memory more often associated with dementia.

Someone with frontotemporal dementia may become less sensitive to other people's emotions. This can make them seem cold and unfeeling.

They may also lose some of their inhibitions. This could lead to strange behaviour, such as making sexually suggestive gestures in a public place, being rude to others or making tactless comments.

Other symptoms of frontotemporal dementia include:

• aggression, 
• compulsive behaviour, 
• being easily distracted, 
• an increasing lack of interest in washing themselves, and 
• personality changes. A person who was previously withdrawn may become very outgoing, or vice versa.

Some people with frontotemporal dementia also have problems with language.

Symptoms affecting language include:

• speaking far less than usual, or not speaking at all, 
• having problems finding the right words to express themselves, and
• using many words to describe something simple. For example, saying 'a metal and wooden tool used for digging' instead of 'a spade'.