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3 - Alzheimer’s Dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease

What’s the Difference and Why Should We Care?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 January 2024

Daniel Gibbs
Affiliation:
Emeritus of Oregon Health and Science University
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Summary

I now have a special interest in Alzheimer’s disease. For nearly 25 years, I practiced general neurology in Portland, Oregon. Some of my patients had dementia, a progressive neurological disorder that causes severe cognitive impairment affecting memory, language, motivation, and mood, interfering with everyday activities. There are several diseases that can cause dementia, including Lewy body disease, Parkinson’s disease, frontotemporal degeneration, and vascular dementia, but Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause, accounting for 60–80% of cases. In 2013, I retired because I had developed mild cognitive impairment (MCI) that was soon shown by biomarker testing to be due to early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. I suddenly wore two hats – that of a retired physician with a lot of experience treating Alzheimer’s disease and now a person living with the same disorder.

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Chapter
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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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References

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AHEAD 3-45 Study: A study to evaluate efficacy and safety of treatment with lecanemab in participants with preclinical Alzheimer’s disease and elevated amyloid and also in participants with early preclinical Alzheimer’s disease and intermediate amyloid. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04468659 (accessed December 29, 2022).Google Scholar
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