Dementia is a pretty broad umbrella term, encompassing everything from Alzheimer’s disease to Lewy body dementia and Huntington’s disease.
The most common forms are Alzheimer’s, vascular dementia, and frontotemporal dementia ― though the former can sometimes (incorrectly) be used interchangeably with the word dementia.
That’s a mistake for a few reasons. Firstly, more than a third of dementia cases go undiagnosed in the UK, partly because a lot of us don’t recognise the symptoms.
Secondly, it turns out that “at least” one in 10 cases of dementia are “mixed”, according to the Alzheimer’s Society, meaning they include more than one subtype of the condition.
Mixed dementia explained
If you’re diagnosed with mixed dementia, it means you have more than one type of dementia.
The most common combination is Alzheimer’s disease with vascular dementia, which is down to poor blood flow to the brain.
Alzheimer’s Association explains that this happens because “the abnormal protein deposits associated with Alzheimer’s disease coexist with blood vessel problems linked to vascular dementia”.
Other combinations include Alzheimer’s with Lewy body dementia (which comes about thanks to the formation of protein clumps).
While we aren’t sure exactly why it happens, autopsies have revealed that concurrent dementias are “significantly” more common than we previously thought, especially among people over 75.
They are often mistaken for Alzheimer’s alone, though Alzheimer’s Society writes that “the two different types of disease combine to make symptoms worse than they would be on their own”.
Why does spotting mixed dementia matter?
Dementia UK says that not fully understanding the condition “can lead to the diagnosed person missing out on interventions that could be helpful for the unrecognised condition”.
For instance, people with Alzheimer’s are often prescribed cholinesterase inhibitors, while those with vascular dementia may need to make lifestyle changes and have their blood monitored to slow the progress of the condition.
The most common medication to treat mixed dementia is donepezil, says Alzheimer’s Society UK.
If you suspect dementia, speak to a GP as soon as possible ― the earlier it’s diagnosed, the better the outcomes are.