Rarer Causes of Dementia

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alzheimers.org.uk Rarer causes of dementia Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, but there are many rarer diseases and syndromes that can lead to dementia, dementia-like symptoms or mild cognitive impairment. Rarer forms of dementia account for around only 5 per cent of all dementia cases in the UK. This factsheet outlines some of these rarer causes and gives some ideas about where to go for more specialist advice and information. This factsheet covers the following rarer causes of dementia: • Corticobasal degeneration • Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease • HIV-related cognitive impairment • Huntington’s disease • multiple sclerosis • Niemann-Pick disease type C • normal pressure hydrocephalus • Parkinson’s disease • posterior cortical atrophy • progressive supranuclear palsy. For information about other types of dementia, please see the following factsheets: • What is Alzheimer’s disease? (401) 1 • What is vascular dementia? (402) (this factsheet includes Binswanger’s disease) • What is dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB)? (403) • What is frontotemporal dementia? (404) • What is Korsakoff’s syndrome? (438) Being told that you or a loved one has dementia can be very difficult and you may experience a range of different emotions as time goes on. Support is available if you need it. Alzheimer’s Society’s National Dementia Helpline can provide information, support, guidance and signposting to other organisations. Corticobasal degeneration Corticobasal degeneration (CBD) is a rare disease in which parts of the brain become damaged and begin to shrink. The outer layer of the brain (known as the cortex) and deep parts of the brain (called the basal ganglia) are particularly affected. It is not yet known what causes CBD but an overproduction of a protein called tau is thought to play a role. The disease usually affects people between the ages of 60 and

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