27. Dementia

Dementia is an acquired disorder involving the deterioration of various cognitive functions with intact consciousness. The early symptoms and signs are non-specific, and patterns only become recognizable at later stages. The most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease; it can also be caused by vascular brain damage. Frontotemporal dementia is characterized mainly by changes in behaviour. Dementia with Lewy bodies is a combination of dementia and parkinsonism. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is a rapidly progressive fatal condition. Dementia can develop in the late stages of AIDS and syphilis.