Dementia: definitions and types

Abstract

This article is the first in a series of articles on dementia and is intended as an introduction to the condition, discussing how it is defined and the different types of disease. Subsequent articles will discuss how dementia affects the brain, the clinical features of dementia, its assessment and diagnosis, and the medical management and treatment of dementia. The series will then look in depth at how nursing care can maximise the quality of life of those affected by dementia and their families.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; dementia; dementia with Lewy bodies; frontotemporal dementia; risk factors; vascular dementia.