What else could be causing dementia symptoms?

Try not to worry. The most important thing is to try and get an accurate diagnosis, so that treatment can begin. When looking at dementia and many other illnesses, changes to diet, introduction of an exercise routine and other alternative therapies can support patients to enjoy a better quality of life and help to reduce the impact of symptoms.

Symptoms of dementia include confusion, difficulty communicating, changes in personality, aggression, anxiety and short term memory loss. However there are other illnesses and diseases aside from head trauma and stroke which can cause similar symptoms as dementia. Some illnesses and diseases can sadly go on to cause dementia, such as lung diseases, Parkinsons and Huntingdon’s disease.

What else can mimic dementia symptoms?

A patient may display symptoms that impact their memory and cognitive function. Some illnesses can also lead to confusion or impact a person’s ability to communicate, so it may not necessarily be the start of dementia. As always, speaking to a doctor and addressing your concerns, along with an accurate detail of the patient’s history, will help the doctor to build up an idea as to what may be happening. 

We have detailed below other illnesses which may mimic dementia, although they will be accompanied with other symptoms, so your doctor may test for these first. If you are looking for information on the types of tests that a doctor may carry out to test for dementia, please  see our article here. 

Liver or Kidney disease

Symptoms of liver or kidney disease can include delirium, confusion, disorientation and memory impairment. Patients can become irritable and angry, or very tired as their organs are not dealing with flushing toxins out of the body sufficiently.

Bladder infection

If the bladder infection is accompanied with a high temperature or fever, this can lead to delirium. Delirium develops quickly, over a short space of time and can lead to some marked behaviour changes, whereas dementia symptoms develops over months and years. 

Infection

Some infections can lead to temperatures and fever, which can bring on delerium. There are other infections which can lead to confusion and memory loss, such as Lyme disease. This disease occurs as a reaction to a tick bite other symptoms include tiredness, loss of energy, muscle and joint pain.

Stress

Being under an immense amount of pressure or stress can keep our brains occupied. As we are focussed on these things that are bothering us, we may struggle to remember dates, or do carry out tasks that we would normally remember to do. People can often have moments of brain fog, when they cannot remember what they were supposed to be doing. This does not mean that someone has dementia and should be discussed with the doctor when they are trying to understand a patient’s history. 

Depression 

Low mood and finding it difficult to carry out tasks as well as needing to sleep a lot of the time are some of the symptoms associated with depression. They are also present in dementia patients too. When visiting the doctor be sure to explain the full range of symptoms that may be experienced to help with diagnosis. 

Reaction to medication

Some medications can have an adverse affect and if you have a reaction to them, they can alter behaviour or impact communication and brain function. Think about whether there has been a change of medication or if a new medication has been administered and speak to a doctor if you have concerns about yourself, or someone else.

Tiredness

Extreme tiredness can impact cognitive behaviour and brain function. So make sure you are getting the recommended 8 hours a night, during night time.

Underactive thyroid

Symptoms of an underactive thyroid include slow movements and thoughts, amongst others which are not associated with dementia. 

Vitamin B12 deficiency

Patients often feel tired and weak and can have an impact on the way you walk and move around as well as the way in which you think. This could be misinterpreted as a symptom of dementia. 

Diabetes

If a diabetes patient’s medication is not working adequately, it can have an impact on a patient’s cognitive function, which means that they may start to struggle even carrying out basic tasks. 

Summary

There are other illnesses and diseases as well as the amount of sleep that you are getting which may look like the symptoms of dementia. Whenever you are concerned, you should seek help from a doctor as they will be able to carry out tests to achieve a diagnosis. With dementia, as with other illnesses, the key is to getting a diagnosis early. There are activities that a dementia patient can do, to reduce the onset of some levels of dementia. 

For more information and advice, please see out Knowledge Base. If you are interested in care options, try our free care finding service here