Mixed dementia

What Is Mixed Dementia? Causes and Diagnosis

It is common for people with dementia to have mixed dementia—a combination of two or more types of dementia. A number of combinations are possible. For example, some people have both Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia.

Dementia

Some studies indicate that mixed dementia is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly. For example, autopsy studies looking at the brains of people who had dementia indicate that most people age 80 and older probably had mixed dementia caused by a combination of brain changes related to Alzheimer's disease, vascular disease-related processes, or another neurodegenerative condition. Some studies suggest that mixed vascular-degenerative dementia is the most common cause of dementia in older adults.

In a person with mixed dementia, it may not be clear exactly how many of a person's symptoms are due to Alzheimer's or another disease. In one study, researchers who examined older adults' brains after death found that 78 percent had two or more pathologies (disease characteristics in the brain) related to neurodegeneration or vascular damage. Alzheimer's was the most common pathology but rarely occurred alone.

Researchers are trying to better understand how underlying disease processes in mixed dementia influence each other. In the study described above, the researchers found that the degree to which Alzheimer's pathology contributed to cognitive decline varied greatly from person to person. In other words, the impact of any given brain pathology differed dramatically depending on which other pathologies were present. Browse Anti-aging health topics A-Z

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

# - A

Advance care planning

Aging in place

Alcohol use or abuse

Alzheimer's dementia

Alzheimer’s caregiving

Anti-aging and longevity

Assisted living and nursing homes

B

Bladder health

Brain health

C

Calorie restriction

Caregiver health

Caregiving

Clinical trials and studies

Cognitive health

Constipation

D

Dementia

Depression

Diabetes

Disaster preparedness

Doctor-patient communication

Down syndrome

Driving and transportation

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

E

Elder abuse

End of life

Estrogen

Exercise and physical activity

Eyes and vision

F

Falls and falls prevention

Family caregivers

Fatigue

Financial planning and protection

Flu

Frontotemporal disorders

  G

Genes and genetics

Grief

H

Healthcare professionals information

Healthy aging

Healthy eating, nutrition, and diet

Hearing

Heart health

High blood pressure

HIV/AIDS

Home health care

Home safety

Hormones

Hospice

Hospitals and hospitalization

Hyperthermia

Hypothermia

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

I

Immunizations and shots

Incontinence

L

Legal and financial issues in Alzheimer's

Legal planning

Lewy body dementia

Living wills and advance directives

Long-distance caregiving

Long-term care

M

Medicines and medication management

Memory loss and forgetfulness

Menopause

Mental and emotional health

Men’s health - benign prostatic hypertrophy

Mild cognitive impairment

Mixed dementia

Mourning and grief

Movement disorders and problems

N

Nutrition

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

O

Organ donation

Osteoarthritis

Osteoporosis

P

Pain

Palliative care

Parkinson’s disease

Prostate

R

Related dementias

S

Safety

Sexuality

Shingles

Skin care

Sleep

Smoking

Social activity

Speech disorders and problems

Stroke

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

T

Talking with your doctor

Talking with your older patient

Teeth and mouth

Testosterone

U

Urinary incontinence

V

Vascular cognitive impairment and vascular dementia

Vitamins and supplements

W

Women’s health