What is Dementia?
{{refimprove|date=December 2011}} [[File:Auguste_D_aus_Marktbreit.jpg|thumb|Auguste, the patient [[Alois Alzheimer]] used to describe Alzheimer's disease, in 1901. Alzheimer's disease is commonly associated with dementia.]] '''Dementia''' (officially '''major neurocognitive disorder''' since 2013) is a group of [[disease]]s with [[symptom]]s, which affect the way people think and interact with each other. It can often be linked to a disease or damage done to the [[brain]]. Very often, short-time memory, [[mind]], [[speech]] and [[motor skills]] are affected. Certain forms of dementia cause a change in the [[personality]] of the sufferer. A person suffering from dementia will lose certain skills and knowledge they already had. This is the main difference to other conditions affecting the mind. People who suffer from learning problems, or lower intelligence will never acquire certain skills, people suffering from dementia will lose skills they have acquired. Dementia is more common in older people, but younger people can be affected as well. Certain forms of dementia can be treated, to some extent. The most common form of dementia is [[Alzheimer's disease]], which accounts for between 50 and 60 percent of all cases. Other types include [[vascular dementia]] and [[lewy body dementia]]. In 2019, Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia ranked as the 7th leading cause of death. Women are disproportionately affected.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The top 10 causes of death|url=https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/the-top-10-causes-of-death|access-date=2024-05-22|website=www.who.int|language=en}}</ref> Famous people who suffered from dementia include [[Augusto Pinochet]], the [[Chile]]an leader, and also [[Rosa Parks]], the [[civil rights]] [[activist]]. [[Ronald Reagan]], a [[United States|U.S.]] [[President]], had dementia. ==Diagnosis/symptoms== People who see the following [[signs and symptoms]] worsen may suffer from dementia:<ref>{{cite journal |author=Calleo J, Stanley M |title=Anxiety Disorders in