Vascular dementia
The symptoms of vascular dementia can develop suddenly and quickly worsen, or they can develop gradually over many months.
Symptoms include:
- increasing difficulties with tasks and activities that require concentration and planning
- memory loss
- depression
- changes in personality and mood
- periods of mental confusion
- low attention span
- urinary incontinence
- stroke-like symptoms, such as muscle weakness or paralysis on one side of the body
- visual hallucinations (seeing things that are not there)
- wandering during the night
- slow and unsteady gait (the way that you walk)
Symptoms of dementia with Lewy bodies
The symptoms of dementia with Lewy bodies usually develop gradually but get more severe over the course of many years.
The symptoms of dementia with Lewy bodies include:
- memory loss
- low attention span
- visual hallucinations (seeing things that are not there) - usually people will see other people or animals that are not real
- periods of mental confusion
- delusions (believing in things that are not true)
- difficulty planning ahead
- muscle stiffness
- slower movement
- shaking and trembling of arms and legs
- shuffling while walking
- problems sleeping
- loss of facial expression.
Symptoms of fronto-temporal dementia
Fronto-temporal dementia is caused by damage to the parts of the brain that help control emotional responses and behaviour. Therefore, many of the initial symptoms of frontotemporal dementia involve changes in emotion, personality and behaviour.
Someone with fronto-temporal dementia may become less sensitive to other people’s emotions. This can make them seem cold and unfeeling.
They may also lose some of their inhibitions. This could lead to strange behaviour, such as making sexually suggestive gestures in a public place, being rude to others or making tactless comments.
Other symptoms of fronto-temporal dementia include:
- aggression
- compulsive behaviour
- being easily distracted
- an increasing lack of interest in washing themselves
- personality changes: person who was previously withdrawn may become very outgoing or vice versa.
Some people with fronto-temporal dementia also have problems with language. This can include speaking far less than usual or not speaking at all, or having problems finding the right words to express themselves or describe something.
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