Overview of vascular dementia

we have discussed what dementia exactly is, as well as the many different types of dementia. It’s helpful knowing that dementia is an umbrella term that describes a set of symptoms, such as memory loss, personality changes, poor judgment, and language processing issues. We’ve explored the most common type of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, as well as Lewy Body dementia, a lesser known type. This month’s Memory Moment focuses on an in-depth overview of vascular dementia. Vascular dementia is a type of dementia that I think about often in terms of my own health. With a family history of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, I’m very aware of my increased risk of this dementia. Part one of this in-depth discussion will focus on the facts of vascular dementia. Next month’s article, Part two, will focus on lifestyle changes and managing these chronic conditions that increase risk of developing vascular dementia.

Vascular dementia is widely considered the second most common type of dementia. The main risk factors are increased age and conditions that affect blood flow to the brain. You might have also heard vascular dementia called multi-infarct dementia, alluding to the correlation with strokes. Infarct refers to an area of dead brain tissue resulting in failure of blood supply. There are many conditions that can contribute to poor cardiovascular health or poor blood supply including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease or diabetes. With restricted blood flow, damage in the brain can occur gradually over time or can often result in a major stroke or a series of smaller strokes.