Causes of Dementia


There are many causes of dementia. Some of these are completely treatable and reversible, while the others are not. Sometimes, the symptoms are so close together, it is not always possible to know the exact cause.

  • Diseases and infections that affect the cortex or the sub cortex areas in the brain directly.
  • Strokes and nutritional deficiencies.
  • Prolonged substance and drug abuse.
  • Accidents that affect the brain cells irreversibly.
  • Alzheimer's disease, which is the most common cause of dementia and accounts for more than half of the cases of this condition every year.
  • Vascular dementia or hardening of the arteries in the brain can cause a decline in the oxygen available to the brain cells.
  • Parkinson’s disease is another cause of neurological problems in the body. It may cause a decline in speech, memory and judgment.
  • Huntington's disease is a genetic disease that can cause severe mental deterioration in its later stages.
  • Some of the other diseases that could cause dementia include Lewy body dementia, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and Pick disease.