7. common causes

1. Alzheimer's disease. This is the most common cause of dementia. Early signs are mild forgetfulness. As the disease progresses, a significant amount of changes occur in the chemical and structural makeup of brain cells, resulting in their death.

2. Vascular dementia. Symptoms present typically after blood supply to the brain is restricted due to a stroke or transient ischemic attack*. Memory problems may only appear later in the disease. There is a risk of stroke symptoms: paralysis and physical weakness.

3. Dementia with Lewy Bodies. Sufferers present with symptoms of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

4. Frontotemporal dementia (Pick's Disease). Early symptoms are personality and behavioural changes.

*To evaluate a stroke or transient ischemic attack (mini-stroke or TIS) in the field use the LAMS calculator. LAMS is included in the MDCalc Apps available free for download on either iOS or Android at the Apple App Store or Google Play.