FYI: Disorders Causing Dementia

Please also read the Caregiving Tips, Support Groups and Education sections.

Degenerative diseases:

• Alzheimer's disease
• Pick's disease
• Huntington's disease
• Progressive supranuclear palsy
• Parkinson's disease (not all cases)
• Cerebellar degenerations
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) (not all cases)
• Parkinson-ALS-dementia complex of Guam and other island areas
• Rare genetic and metabolic diseases (Hallervorden-Spatz, Kufs', Wilson's, late-onset metachromatic leukodystrophy, adrenoleukodystrophy)

Vascular dementia:

• Multi-infarct dementia
• Cortical micro-infarcts
• Lacunar dementia (large infarcts)
• Binswanger disease
• Cerebral embolic disease (flat, air, thrombus fragments)

Anoxic dementia:

• Cardiac arrest
• Cardiac failure (severe)
• Carbon monoxide

Traumatic dementia:

• Dementia pugilistica (boxer's dementia)
• Head injuries (open or closed)

Infectious dementia:

• Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)
• AIDS dementia
• Opportunistic infections
• Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (subacute spongiforn encephalopathy)
• Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy
• Post-encephalitic dementia
• Behcet's syndrome
• Herpes encephalitis
• Fungal meningitis or encephalitis
• Bacterial meningitis or encephalitis
• Parasitic encephalitis
• Brain abscess
• Neurosyphilis (general paresis)

Normal pressure hydrocephalus (communicating hydrocephalus of adults) Space-occupying lesions:

• Chronic or acute subdural hematoma
• Primary brain tumor
• Metastatic tumor (carcinoma, leukemia, lymphoma, sarcoma)

Multiple sclerosis

Auto-immune disorders:

• Disseminated lupus erythematosis
• Vasculitis

Toxic dementia:

• Alcoholic dementia
• Metallic dementia (e.g., lead, mercury, arsenic, manganese)
• Organic poisons (e.g., solvents, some insecticides)