Dementia

Dementia: Significant loss of intellectual abilities such as memory capacity, severe enough to interfere with social or occupational functioning. Criteria for the diagnosis of dementia include impairment of attention, orientation, memory, judgement, language, motor and spatial skills, and function. By definition dementia is not due to major depression or schizophrenia.Dementia is reported in as many as 1% of adults 60 years of age. The frequency of dementia doubles every five years of age to reach 40% at 85 years of age.Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia.