Select a condition Absence seizures Acne ADHD Age-related macular degeneration AIDS Alzheimer's disease AMD Amebic dysentery Anal tears Angina, stable Angina, unstable Ankle sprain Anorexia Anxiety Appendicitis Arthritis Asthma in adults Asthma in children Athlete's foot Atrial fibrillation Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) Autism Back pain Bacterial vaginosis Bad breath Bedsores Bedwetting Bell's palsy Benign prostatic hyperplasia Bipolar disorder Bladder infection in women Blood pressure Breast cancer Breast pain Bronchiectasis Bronchiolitis Bronchitis Bulimia Bunions Burning mouth syndrome Burns and scalds Canker sores Cardiac arrest Carpal tunnel syndrome Cataracts Cellulitis and erysipelas Chickenpox Childbirth, heavy bleeding Childbirth, tear or cut Chlamydia Chronic bronchitis Chronic fatigue syndrome Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Chronic prostatitis Chronic tension type headache Cold sores Colic in babies Colon and rectal cancer Colon and rectal cancer screening Colonic diverticular disease Common cold Conjunctivitis Constipation in adults Constipation in children COPD Crib death Deep vein thrombosis Dementia Depression in adults Depression in children Diabetes, type 1 Diabetes, type 2 Diarrhea in adults Diarrhea in children Diverticular disease Ear infection, middle ear Ear infection, outer ear Ear infection with discharge Ear infection with fluid Ear pain during air travel Ear wax Eczema Emphysema Endometriosis Enlarged prostate Epilepsy Episiotomy Erection problems Essential tremor Febrile seizures Fertility problems Fibroids Flu Gallstones Genital herpes Genital warts GERD GERD in children Glaucoma Gonorrhea Gout Group B streptococcus H. pylori infection Halitosis Hay fever Headache, chronic tension type Head lice Heart and circulation problems in diabetes Heart attack Heartburn Heart failure Heavy periods Heel pain Hemorrhoids Hepatitis B Hepatitis C Hernia Herpes, genital Herpes simplex eye infection High blood pressure High blood pressure in pregnancy High cholesterol HIV infection Hyperactivity IBS Incontinence in women Infection in newborn babies Infertility Influenza Insomnia in adults Irritable bowel syndrome Jaundice in newborn babies Jet lag Kidney infection Kidney stones Leg cramps Leg ulcers Lewy body dementia Lung cancer Lyme disease Macular degeneration Malaria prevention Manic depression Mastalgia Measles, mumps and rubella: prevention Melanoma Meniere's disease Meningococcal disease Menopause Migraine in adults Migraine in children MMR prevention Morning sickness Multiple sclerosis Nail infection, fungal Neck pain Nicotine addiction Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma Nosebleeds in children Obesity Obsessive-compulsive disorder OCD Oral thrush Osteoarthritis Osteoporosis Ovarian cancer Painful periods Pancreas cancer Panic attacks Parkinson's disease PCOS Pelvic inflammatory disease Perineal care Peripheral vascular disease Pneumonia Polycystic ovary syndrome Postpartum depression Postpartum hemorrhage Post-traumatic stress disorder Preeclampsia Pregnancy, nausea Premature birth Pressure sores Prostate cancer Prostatitis, chronic Psoriasis PTSD Raynaud's disease Rectal cancer screening Recurrent cystitis Reflux in children Rheumatoid arthritis Scabies Schizophrenia Seasonal allergy Shoulder pain Sickle cell anemia Sickle cell disease SIDS Sinusitis Skin cancer (melanoma) Skin cancer (squamous cell) Sleep apnea Sleep problems in children Slipped disk Smoking Sore throat Stomach ulcers Stress headache Stress incontinence Stroke, emergency care Stroke prevention Sudden infant death syndrome Swimmer's ear Tennis elbow Tension headache Testicular cancer Thrush (oral) Tic douloureux Tinnitus Tonsillitis Toxoplasmosis in pregnancy Trigeminal neuralgia Underactive thyroid Urinary tract infections in children Varicocele Varicose veins Vascular dementia Warts Whiplash Wisdom teeth, impacted Wrinkles Yeast infection, vagina

Select treatment area Bladder & Kidneys Blood Brain & nervous system Cancer Children's health Diabetes Digestive system Ear, nose & throat Eating & weight Eyes Fertility Heart and circulation Hormones Infections Lungs & breathing Men's health Mental health Mouth Muscles & bones Pregnancy & childbirth Sexual health Skin Sleep Staying healthy Travel health Women's health

Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia can cause many different symptoms. The first sign is usually mild forgetfulness. Symptoms usually come on gradually and get worse over several years. But if you've had a stroke, they can start suddenly.

People in the early stages of Alzheimer's or other types of dementia can forget what day it is or what they did yesterday. They can have trouble remembering the names of friends or everyday objects. They can also get easily confused, so that they can't follow what you're saying.

These symptoms can be annoying for friends and family. You may even think your relative or loved one is being deliberately difficult. Keep in mind that people with Alzheimer's or another type of dementia can do nothing about their state of mind, and may well be anxious about it themselves.

The problems with memory get worse over time. And they start to affect day-to-day life. For example, someone with dementia may not be able to get dressed. They simply forget what they're supposed to do and how to do it. They can also find it hard to understand what people are saying to them. Some people have difficulty reading or writing.

Doctors divide the symptoms of dementia into three groups. There are different treatments for each group of symptoms, so it's useful to know what these are.

• Problems with memory, thinking and language, such as forgetting words for things or people, or not understanding what's being said. Memory problems can lead to confusion. For example, someone with dementia might get lost in a familiar place. Or they might forget they've done something, or keep asking the same questions again and again.
• Problems with doing day-to-day things, such as getting dressed, eating and going to the bathroom. People with dementia can find it difficult to follow instructions and they can have problems using money.
• Different behavior. People with dementia can become agitated, irritable and restless. They may start pacing the room or wandering. They may shout at their family or lash out. They may also feel anxious or depressed. Or they may laugh out loud or start crying at the wrong times. Some people get delusions (imagining that something is happening when it isn't). For example, they might think somebody is trying to steal their things. Some get hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that aren't there).¹

When someone first gets Alzheimer's disease or another type of dementia, they may realize that their memory isn't as good as it was. They might get annoyed with themselves for not remembering things. They may have moments when everything seems clear and other times when they're confused.¹

But most people with dementia don't notice they're having problems. A relative or friend may need to tell them that they keep forgetting things and suggest they see a doctor.²

If you think someone close to you could have dementia, you should make sure they see a doctor. Many of the treatments for Alzheimer's and other dementias work best when the disease is in the early stage. So, it's important not to delay.

Although the above symptoms can happen with any type of dementia, different diseases have their own features.

• Everyone who has Alzheimer's disease gets memory, thinking and language problems and has difficulty doing day-to-day things.
• But not all people with Alzheimer's disease get the behavior problems that can happen with dementia.³

There are three stages of Alzheimer's disease: mild, moderate and severe (doctors call these stages early, middle and late). The stages are divided according to how bad the symptoms are. To read more, see Stages of Alzheimer's disease.

• One of the first symptoms can be hallucinations (seeing things that aren't there).
• Depression and delusions are common.
• Problems with memory and confusion can come and go from day to day, or even hour to hour.⁴ So, one moment someone can't remember what day it is, and the next they can remember everything.
• Most people with this type of dementia also get symptoms of Parkinson's disease. They move more slowly and become rather stiff and rigid in the way they do things. People tend to shuffle along when they walk. Their hands and legs can also tremble. Because their muscles freeze, people can find it hard to make some facial expressions and they may also talk differently.
• Some people have spells when they seem to black out.
• Some people have restless nights and sleep easily during the day. Nightmares and confusion are common at night.

• If someone has dementia after a stroke, their symptoms usually start suddenly. The person may be confused and have memory problems as well as other difficulties. The problems they get depends on where in their brain the stroke happened. To learn more about strokes and the symptoms they can cause, see our pages on Stroke, emergency care.
• These symptoms can gradually get better or they can clear up with treatment. For example, if symptoms are due to a stroke that happened because a blood vessel to the brain got blocked, treatment with drugs to clear the blockage and thin the blood may also get rid of the symptoms. Controlling high blood pressure can also help. We've looked at treatments for stroke in a separate section. See What treatments work for a stroke?
• If dementia starts after lots of little strokes (called multi-infarct dementia), symptoms start slowly and get gradually worse. This can take many years.
• Doctors will try to control heart and blood problems, such as high blood pressure, to prevent any further strokes.
• With multi-infarct dementia, it's common for people to lose control of their bladder or their bowels. This is called incontinence. A continence nurse should be able to advise you about the best way to cope with this problem.

People with dementia will gradually lose the ability to look after themselves. And their personality will change. It can be heartbreaking to watch a person close to you change in this way. You might learn to cope with one situation, but then it changes. You then need to gather your strength to cope with a new set of symptoms.

There will probably be a time when you need to think about getting help. This could be help at home or in a nursing home. These can be difficult decisions to make and you may need a lot of help to decide what's best. It's probably wise to think about these things sooner rather than later so that you'll have plenty of time to look around and make the right choice.

There are good support networks for people with dementia and their families. You may want to contact one of these to help you decide what kind of help you need, and to find out what options are available in your area.

You can get details about these organizations from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Or try your local Area Agency on Aging, which may also be able to help you get the services you need.