What is Dementia?

Dementia is one of the most common and serious disorders later in life. About 5% of the people over 65 years are affected by it; in the UK about 800,000 people suffer from Dementia.

Chronic confusion (also known as dementia) is the term for a number of illnesses, which cause chronic and progressive changes in the brain, and a loss of brain function. Most people think of memory loss when they hear Dementia but other functions of the brain are also affected.

Dementia can affect the ability to carry out familiar daily tasks and remembering places and recognising people. It can also affect the way people behave and interact with other people.

Dementia is only a word used to describe the collection of symptoms. The disorder can be caused by a number of different illnesses. The most common one is Alzheimer's disease. Other conditions, which cause Dementia, are for example multiple strokes, vitamin deficiency and Thyroid disease.

There are number of other causes of chronic confusion and some are treatable. It is very important that you seek medical advice if you are worried about your memory as soon as possible.