Due to the similarity in the symptoms of both, many people think that dementia and Alzheimer disease are one and the same. However, while the two diseases belong to the same category, there are differences between dementia and Alzheimer disease.

Here are some facts about dementia and Alzheimer's disease that will help you understand the difference between the two.

Dementia is not a single disease. In fact, it can be caused due to several diseases and Alzheimer's disease is one of them. Dementia, just like Alzheimer's disease, is progressive in nature and it causes problems with the memory and cognitive functions. Besides Alzheimer's, dementia can also be brought on by Lewy bodies, vascular dementia, over consumption of alcohol and sometimes Parkinson's disease.

On the other hand, Alzheimer's not only causes dementia, but it is also a type of dementia. Here the brain cells are destroyed due to accumulation of a protein known as beta amyloid. Another protein known as tau is also sometimes seen in the brains of Alzheimer patients.

While a patient suffering from Alzheimer's invariably has dementia, it is quite possible that a person suffering from dementia may not have Alzheimer's. In dementia, the memory and cognitive functions are seriously affected, while in Alzheimer's the effect is on the short term memory.

So, while laypeople can mistake dementia and Alzheimer's to be the same disease, doctors know that this is not true. Both are completely different diseases and invariably doctors will perform a series of tests pertaining to vision and muscles in order to ensure that the person is suffering from Alzheimer's and not dementia.

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