What is the difference between Alzheimer’s and dementia?

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Scientists are hailing what they believe to be a historic breakthrough in the fightback against the degenerative brain disease Alzheimer’s, after an antibody therapy known as lecanamab proved to slow the onset of the condition during clinical trials. The eagerly-awaited findings of the trial, involving nearly 1,800 people aged between 50 and 90, who had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s, were first published in The New England Journal of Medicine and revealed that the drug slowed memory decline by 27 per cent in participants over an 18-month period. According to the NHS, the precise cause of Alzheimer’s is not yet known but a number of factors are thought to encourage its development, including advancing age, family history of the disease, depression going untreated and lifestyle factors associated with cardiovascular disease. The first indicator of Alzheimer’s is usually minor memory problems, the health service warns, with the following symptoms emerging as the condition worsens: Confusion, disorientation and getting lost in familiar places Difficulty planning or making decisions Problems with speech and language Problems moving without assistance or performing self-care tasks Personality changes, such as becoming aggressive, demanding and suspicious of others Hallucinations and delusions Low mood or anxiety There is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s but medicines are available to relieve some of the symptoms and the news about lecanamab is certainly a highly positive development for sufferers.