# Dementia (umbrella)

Source: https://onco.cc/diagnoses/dementia/  
OnCo record `dementia` (Diagnosis). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Dementia is an umbrella term for changes that affect thinking, memory, communication, and everyday tasks. It is not a normal part of ageing.

## Summary

Dementia names a syndrome: acquired, progressive difficulty with cognition that interferes with daily life. Alzheimer’s disease is the most discussed cause on this atlas, but vascular injury, Lewy body disease, frontotemporal degeneration, Parkinson’s disease, and mixed pathology also cause dementia. Mild cognitive impairment is a related state in which changes are noticeable but daily independence is largely preserved. Labels help match care, trials, and medicines. They do not replace a clinical assessment.

## Fields

- Kind: Diagnosis
- Last checked: 2026-09-21
- Tags: dementia-atlas
- Group: dementia
- Burden: Dementia is a clinical syndrome, not a single disease. Several brain diseases can cause it, and mixed pathology is common.
- Subtypes: Alzheimer’s disease; Dementia with Lewy bodies; Parkinson’s disease dementia; Vascular dementia; Frontotemporal dementia; Mixed dementia; Mild cognitive impairment
- Biomarkers: Clinical history and informant report; Cognitive testing; Structural MRI; Amyloid PET or cerebrospinal fluid amyloid and tau where indicated; Blood biomarker research assays

## Standard of care

- Any suspected dementia: History, examination, medicines review, blood tests for reversible contributors, and cognitive testing. Imaging and specialist referral follow local pathways. ([Dementia care navigation](https://onco.cc/technologies/da-tech-care-navigation/), [Symptomatic care](https://onco.cc/fronts/da-front-symptomatic-care/))

## State of the art

- Diagnosis is clinical first, with biomarkers used to support subtype questions rather than to replace the story of the person.
- Care planning, safety, and carer support sit beside any medicine discussion.

## Open problems

- Many people never receive a subtype diagnosis.
- Trial populations still under-represent mixed pathology, vascular disease, and diverse communities.

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dementia
- NIA: Alzheimer’s and related dementias: https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/alzheimers-and-dementia
- NICE NG97: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng97

## Connected records

- diagnoses: [Alzheimer’s disease](https://onco.cc/diagnoses/alzheimers-disease/), [Dementia with Lewy bodies](https://onco.cc/diagnoses/dementia-with-lewy-bodies/), [Frontotemporal dementia](https://onco.cc/diagnoses/frontotemporal-dementia/), [Mild cognitive impairment](https://onco.cc/diagnoses/mild-cognitive-impairment/), [Mixed dementia](https://onco.cc/diagnoses/mixed-dementia/), [Parkinson’s disease dementia](https://onco.cc/diagnoses/parkinsons-disease-dementia/), [Vascular dementia](https://onco.cc/diagnoses/vascular-dementia/)
- fronts: [Care delivery](https://onco.cc/fronts/da-front-care-delivery/), [Symptomatic care](https://onco.cc/fronts/da-front-symptomatic-care/)
- terms: [Mild cognitive impairment](https://onco.cc/terms/da-term-mci/), [Mixed dementia](https://onco.cc/terms/da-term-mixed-dementia/)
- bottlenecks: [Late and uneven diagnosis](https://onco.cc/bottlenecks/da-bn-late-diagnosis/), [Wrong-subtype treatment](https://onco.cc/bottlenecks/da-bn-subtype-misclassification/)
- technologies: [Dementia care navigation](https://onco.cc/technologies/da-tech-care-navigation/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/dementia.json