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Is alzheimers a broad generalization?

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There is no way to tell whether it's dementia or Alzheimer's until after death. Vascular dementia presents a different pattern of lesions to Alzheimer's.

You will never know about yourself, but when your parents die they will be autopsied assuming you aren't jewish and they can biopsy the brain and tell you which one you likely will inherit.


My grandmother and great aunt are both in nursing homes now because they have what the doctors believe to be Alzheimer's. But we won't know until they die.


Edit: I say not jewish because it is my understanding that in Judaism it is not OK to autopsy a body. I had a jewish friend who died and I could not attend his funeral because for some reason he had to be buried quickly.
 
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Vascular dementia is just a cause of dementia, just like Alzhiemers.

Dementia is symptom, with many causes including alzheimers and vascular dementia.
 
Anarchist420 said:
Personally, I believe conventional medicine is mostly BS. I honestly can't discern whether psychiatrists and the psychotropic drug engineers/researchers and marketers are idiots who actually believe what they tell everyone else or if they're lying trying to make above-market profits; i'd guess the former given how much aid they've required to make their living.
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Don't judge all of conventional medicine by the subset that is psych-related. We still understand so little about that brain that our tools are crude and at times destructive...much like dentistry used to be in previous centuries. It will get better as time goes on.

In general, conventional medicine works well with acute problems (infections, trauma, etc) and not as well with chronic problems (neurological, psychiatric, metabolic issues).
 
DCal430 said:
Vascular dementia is just a cause of dementia, just like Alzhiemers.

Dementia is symptom, with many causes including alzheimers and vascular dementia.
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Wrong. Vascular Dementia and Classical Alzheimer's are distinct physical illnesses that can only be differentiated in death. You have to biopsy the brain.


Dementia can be a feature of Alzheimer's, but "Vascular Dementia" is a distinct illness from Classical Alzheimer's.
 
In ye olden days the last two would have killed you just as easily, though less directly. Our mastery of medicine is pretty well rounded; the simple fact that chronic patients normally live to be chronic should be proof enough of that.
 
TreVader said:
Wrong. Vascular Dementia and Classical Alzheimer's are distinct physical illnesses that can only be differentiated in death. You have to biopsy the brain.


Dementia can be a feature of Alzheimer's, but "Vascular Dementia" is a distinct illness from Classical Alzheimer's.
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What are you talking about, I didn't say Vascular Dementia and Alzheimers are the same illness.

You are the one who doesn't know what they are talking about. Vascular Dementia and just Dementia are NOT the same thing. Everyone with Alzheimers has dementia, it is the main symptom of Alzheimers.

Really educate yourself before you say something to others.
 
Ruptga said:
In ye olden days the last two would have killed you just as easily, though less directly. Our mastery of medicine is pretty well rounded; the simple fact that chronic patients normally live to be chronic should be proof enough of that.
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Schizophrenics don't really have good outcomes even with the best intervention is the point. They can replace a heart valve easier than they can fix schizophrenia. They have no idea what really causes fibromyalgia and treatment is purely symptomatic. You get that disease and you have to live with pain. I wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemy.
 
OverVolt said:
Schizophrenics don't really have good outcomes even with the best intervention is the point. They can replace a heart valve easier than they can fix schizophrenia. They have no idea what really causes fibromyalgia and treatment is purely symptomatic. You get that disease and you have to live with pain. I wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemy.
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Yet they do live, and they do it without people drilling holes in their skulls, sending exorcists, or lobotomizing them. Their conditions still aren't curable, but their symptoms can be managed. For some that means life from their bed sucks a little less, but for others that means a reasonably normal life. To say that we know dick about chronic conditions simply because we can't cure them outright ignores a lot of relevant details.
 
DCal430 said:
What are you talking about, I didn't say Vascular Dementia and Alzheimers are the same illness.



You are the one who doesn't know what they are talking about. Vascular Dementia and just Dementia are NOT the same thing. Everyone with Alzheimers has dementia, it is the main symptom of Alzheimers.



Really educate yourself before you say something to others.
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What is different between what I said and what you said?


I read my original post again and you just repeat it. Everyone knows dementia is a feature of Alzheimer's but VASCULAR DEMENTIA is a distinct, different illness that is caused by something totally different than Alzheimer's but presents dementia as a main symptom.


Unless you are trying to argue that doctors can tell w/o biopsy. Which they CAN'T.
 
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jagec said:
Which would you rather have in 2015:
1)A broken bone
2)Bubonic plague
3)Fibromyalgia
4)Schizophrenia

Note that the first two may well have killed you in 1515.
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This question in no way answers my question, nor supports your claim. Are you confused?
 
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