There are several types of vascular dementia. Two of the most common are: Multi-infarct dementia: This is a common form of vascular dementia caused by several strokes which damage the brain's cortex, the area responsible for learning, memory and language.
Subcortical vascular dementia is thought to be the most common type of vascular dementia. It is caused by diseases of the very small blood vessels that lie deep in the brain (known as 'small vessel disease').
Vascular dementia is generally caused by conditions that occur most often in older people, such as atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), heart disease, and stroke. The number of people older than 65 years is increasing. People are living longer with chronic diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes.
The most common symptoms of vascular dementia during the early stages are: problems with planning or organising, making decisions or solving problems. difficulties following a series of steps (such as when cooking a meal) slower speed of thought.
Very mild cognitive decline/forgetfulness
In the very early stages, the first sign that a person has vascular dementia is forgetfulness, but many people confuse this with general age-related forgetfulness. You may notice yourself or your loved one forgetting where you've placed items in the house.
Vascular dementia – around five years. This is lower than the average for Alzheimer's mostly because someone with vascular dementia is more likely to die from a stroke or heart attack than from the dementia itself. Dementia with Lewy bodies– about six years.
Causes of vascular dementia
narrowing and blockage of the small blood vessels inside the brain. a single stroke, where the blood supply to part of the brain is suddenly cut off. lots of "mini strokes" (also called transient ischaemic attacks, or TIAs) that cause tiny but widespread damage to the brain.
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. Trouble paying attention and concentrating.
People with VaD may exhibit the following behavior: Problems with thinking, walking and performing everyday activities are the most prominent symptoms. Many people with VaD also suffer from depression, which can result in less motivation to perform their usual activities or a lack of interest in the world around them.
On average, people with vascular dementia live for around five years after symptoms begin, less than the average for Alzheimer's disease. Because vascular dementia shares many of the same risk factors as heart attack and stroke, in many cases, the person's death will be caused by a stroke or heart attack.
In most cases, vascular dementia itself is not inherited.
Other than in a few, very rare cases, parents cannot pass on vascular dementia to their children. However, a parent may pass certain genes that increase the risk of developing vascular dementia.
As a person's vascular dementia progresses, they may begin to behave in ways that seem out of character. For example, they may become more agitated or aggressive, or have sleep problems. They may also act in ways that others find embarrassing or difficult to understand.
Dementia is progressive. This means signs and symptoms may be relatively mild at first but they get worse with time. Dementia affects everyone differently, however it can be helpful to think of dementia progressing in 'three stages'.
your age – the risk of vascular dementia increases as you get older, with people over 65 most at risk. your family history – your risk of problems such as strokes is higher if a close family member has had them.
Symptoms of vascular dementia can begin gradually or can occur suddenly, and then progress over time, with possible short periods of improvement. Vascular dementia can occur alone or be a part of a different diagnosis such as Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia.
Introduction: The five-word test (5WT) is a serial verbal memory test with semantic cuing. It is proposed to rapidly evaluate memory of aging people and has previously shown its sensitivity and its specificity in identifying patients with AD.
Another clue is impaired coordination or balance. In vascular dementia, problems walking or balancing can happen early. With Alzheimer's, these symptoms usually occur late in the disease.
I'm going to discuss five of the most basic ones here: 1) Don't tell them they are wrong about something, 2) Don't argue with them, 3) Don't ask if they remember something, 4) Don't remind them that their spouse, parent or other loved one is dead, and 5) Don't bring up topics that may upset them.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
MRI s are generally the preferred imaging test because MRI s can provide even more detail than CT scans about strokes, ministrokes and blood vessel abnormalities and is the test of choice for evaluating vascular dementia.
Brain scans cannot identify vascular dementia by themselves, but they can be used along with other information to help confirm the diagnosis. A CT or MRI scan may show evidence of a recent stroke or of other changes in the brain.
Symptoms and progression
On average, people with vascular dementia will progress faster than those with Alzheimer's disease. There is some overlap in the symptoms of each disease, but each has a unique profile.
Vitamin B12 and Folic Acid: Being deficient in both Vitamin B12 and folic acid is common in those with dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Taken together, these two supplements can help lower the levels of an amino acid in the blood that is often linked to dementia.
It is quite common for a person with dementia, especially in the later stages, to spend a lot of their time sleeping – both during the day and night. This can sometimes be distressing for the person's family and friends, as they may worry that something is wrong.
A person with vascular dementia may seem to improve for periods of time until another stroke takes away more brain function, memory, and independence. Eventually, untreated vascular dementia usually ends in death from stroke, heart disease, or infection.