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Jul 8, 2023 · Doctors look for symptoms that progress in noticeable stages to diagnose vascular dementia. Alzheimer's, by comparison, progresses at a slow, steady pace. Another clue is impaired coordination or ...
- Joanne Barker
About vascular dementia. Inadequate blood flow can damage and eventually kill cells anywhere in the body, but the brain is especially vulnerable. In vascular dementia, changes in thinking skills sometimes occur suddenly after a stroke, which blocks major blood vessels in the brain. Thinking difficulties may also begin as mild changes that ...
People also ask
What are vascular dementia symptoms?
What are the late stages of vascular dementia?
How does vascular dementia progress?
- What is vascular dementia?
- Symptoms
- Stages
- Causes
- Risk factors
- Vascular dementia vs. Alzheimer’s disease
- Diagnosis
- Treatment
- Outlook
- Getting help for vascular dementia
Vascular dementia is a type of dementia that can cause a decline in cognitive skills, including memory, reasoning, judgment, and speech. These changes can occur suddenly, or they may start mild and go unnoticed at first.
It’s estimated that between 5 to 10 percent of people over the age of 65 have vascular dementia. It’s the second most common form of dementia, after Alzheimer’s disease, accounting for 20 to 40 percent of all dementia cases.
The symptoms of vascular dementia depend on which part of your brain is affected. The severity of symptoms depends on how long your brain was without oxygen and blood.
Many symptoms overlap with other types of dementia, and not all symptoms are easy to notice.
The most common symptoms of vascular dementia include:
•confusion and memory problems
•difficulty paying attention and focusing
•trouble doing tasks that used to be easy
Unlike other types of dementia, vascular dementia doesn’t always have a typical progression — it can occur suddenly or start slowly.
Generally, though, it tends to progress in a step-like manner, where there are periods of decline, followed by stability, then decline again.
Still, it can roughly be classified into:
•Early stages. Making the diagnosis may be difficult because symptoms are mild. However, you’re usually aware that your memory and mental capabilities are not the same as they once were.
•Middle stages. This is when the symptoms listed above become more noticeable.
•Late stages. This is where there are dramatic changes in cognitive and physical symptoms. Often, this stage occurs after a severe event, such as a large stroke.
Vascular dementia is caused by a narrowing or blockage in the blood vessels that provide blood to your brain. This reduced blood flow deprives your brain of much-needed oxygen, which can damage your brain very quickly.
Numerous conditions can cause this reduced blood flow to your brain, including:
•high blood pressure
•diabetes
•aneurysm or blood clot
•heart attack
There are several risk factors for vascular dementia, including:
•age
•history of stroke
•history of heart attacks
•high cholesterol
•diabetes
Both Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia are forms of dementia, distinct from each other as well as other forms like Lewy body dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and frontotemporal dementia.
Unlike vascular dementia, Alzheimer’s disease isn’t caused by stroke or low blood flow to your brain.
Vascular problems, such as stroke, high cholesterol, and hypertension, aren’t related to Alzheimer’s disease, as they are with vascular dementia. There is no known cause of Alzheimer’s, though your risk of developing it increases with age.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, making up to 80 percent of all dementia diagnoses.
In Alzheimer’s, the first symptoms noticed are often memory problems, as well as word-finding trouble, vision or spatial issues, and impaired reasoning or judgment. In vascular dementia, the first symptoms are often neurological.
Vascular dementia usually progresses in a stepwise fashion, whereas Alzheimer’s is more progressive in the decline.
If your doctor detects neurological symptoms or changes in your memory and reasoning, they may request a detailed assessment and screening that includes:
•a thorough physical with complete family history
•a consultation with friends and family members to see if they have detected changes in your behavior
•a test to check the function of your reflexes, nerves, coordination, and balance
•imaging and blood tests to check for other conditions that might be causing the cognitive changes
After ruling out other causes, your doctor may come to the conclusion that the changes in memory and cognition are the result of vascular dementia.
The goal of vascular dementia treatment is to repair the underlying conditions that may be causing it. For example, your doctor will work with you to lower your blood pressure and cholesterol.
They may also encourage you to adopt a healthier lifestyle with a better diet and more exercise in order to prevent clogged arteries, heart attack, and stroke.
Some medications are useful in boosting memory and cognitive skills. These medications alter how your brain’s cells communicate, process, store, and retrieve memories.
However, there are currently no treatments approved to stop or reverse the changes caused by vascular dementia.
The brain is capable of repairing itself to a certain extent. It can regenerate blood vessels to help heal damaged areas,
However, the reality is that vascular dementia shortens a person’s lifespan, especially if you have another stroke or heart attack, which can cause further brain damage.
Many symptoms of vascular dementia go unnoticed or are attributed to another condition, such as stress.
However, professional screenings should be able to detect the changes in memory and function commonly associated with vascular dementia. If you notice changes in yourself or a loved one, make an appointment to speak with a doctor.
If you have a history of heart attack or stroke, screenings are very important. Doctors may notice very minor changes that might be easy to miss. Recognizing the changes and diagnosing them can speed up treatment.
The sooner you’re treated, the better you will do in the future.
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- No Impairment — Normal Memory. Considered early-stage dementia, the person at this stage of vascular dementia won’t know they have the condition yet because they will have no concerning symptoms.
- Minimal Impairment — Normal Forgetfulness. The first signal that someone might have vascular dementia is forgetfulness. “Memory lapses and changes in thinking are rarely detected by friends, family, or medical personnel," explains Dr. Baldivieso.
- Early Confusional — Mild Cognitive Impairment. Forgetfulness increases slightly during the third stage of vascular dementia. According to Dr. Baldivieso, “You or your loved one may have difficulty retrieving words, planning, organizing, misplacing objects and may forget recent learning, which can affect home and work life.
- Late Confusional — Mild Cognitive Impairment. Mild cognitive impairment is the fourth stage of dementia. At this point, many people get a diagnosis as their symptoms become more evident.
Symptoms often overlap with those of other types of dementia, especially Alzheimer's disease dementia. But unlike Alzheimer's disease, the most significant symptoms of vascular dementia tend to involve speed of thinking and problem-solving rather than memory loss. Vascular dementia signs and symptoms include: Confusion
Jul 29, 2021 · A brain-imaging study can help your doctor zero in on more-likely causes for your symptoms and rule out other causes. Brain-imaging procedures your doctor may recommend to help diagnose vascular dementia include: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). An Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses radio waves and a strong magnetic field to produce ...
Aug 15, 2020 · Vascular dementia is among the most common etiologies of major neurocognitive disorder (MND), affecting primarily older adults (>65), and it is the leading nondegenerative cause of dementia. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-V) subsumes all dementing diseases under the syndromic term MND. MND requires an acquired decline in one or more cognitive ...
