Dementia Causes & Risk Factors - OmniMedicalSearch.com

There are many causes of dementia, many of which are as a result of damage or changes in the brain. These include:

Certain disease such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Lewy body disease etc.,
Certain diseases that affect the blood vessels due to stroke which can cause multi-infarct dementia.
Excessive consumption of alcohol and drugs.
Deficiency in nutrition such as vitamin B12 and folate deficiency.
Infections such as AIDS, dementia complex and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
Accumulation of fluid (hydrocephalus) in the brain can lead to developmental abnormalities, injuries, infections and/or brain tumors.
Head injuries – may be a single severe injury or several injuries as in the case of boxers.
Illness of the kidney, liver and lung infections (6).

In addition, the following conditions also can cause dementia:

Metabolic problems and endocrine abnormalities: Thyroid problems, hypoglycemia and inadequate or excess sodium/calcium levels in the body may trigger mental changes.
Chronic alcoholism could result in a thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency seriously impairing mental abilities. Similarly, “Severe deficiency of vitamin B6 can cause a neurological illness called pellagra that may include dementia” (4).
People with AIDS and leukemia can develop an infection called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) due to common human polyomavirus and JC virus that damages the myelin sheath covering nerve cells.
One more cause for dementia could be “Subdural hematomas or bleeding between the brain's surface and its outer covering (the dura)” (4).
Poisoning or exposure to lead and heavy metals could lead to an onset of dementia.
Diminished supply of oxygen (Anoxia or Hypoxia) to brain and/or nerve cells in the brain leads to coma or stupor in patients from a few hours to weeks, depending on the “severity of the oxygen deprivation” (4). During recovery, various psychological and neurological abnormalities may develop leading to dementia or psychosis.
Inadequate oxygen supply to brain cells due to chronic heart or lung problems may also lead to dementia (4).

Alzheimer’s disease causes 60% of the dementias, 30% of dementias are caused due to vascular dementia and 10% being other causes (7).

Risk factors for dementia have been identified and include:

Age: As a person advances in age, the risk of Alzheimer’s disease goes up and so does the likelihood of dementia.
Genetics/Family history: As already explained, genetic mutations play a vital role in passing on the disorders to the offspring. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, (CJD),
Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker, (GSS) or fatal familial insomnia occurs due to mutations in prion protein gene. Abnormal genes may also cause Huntington disease and frontotemporal dementia with Parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17 (FTDP-17) is linked to mutation of tau gene causing dementia.
Smoking and Alcohol Usage: Studies suggest that smokers are at risk of developing atherosclerosis and other types of vascular diseases.
Atherosclerosis: Deposition of fatty substances, cholesterol and other matter in the inner lining of artery is called atherosclerosis. This accumulation of plaque leads to increased risk of vascular dementia and stroke due to reduced supply of oxygenated blood to the brain.
Cholesterol: Higher levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) increases the risk of vascular dementia.
Plasma Homocysteine: Higher than average levels of homocysteine in blood is a potential risk for development of vascular dementia and AD.
Down Syndrome: Most of the people suffering from Down syndrome develop plaques and neurofibrillary tangles and many of them develop dementia (4).

Article by Kona Vishnu, MS
Medical Writer,
OmniMedicalSearch.com