Vascular dementia is caused by blockages in the blood supply to the brain and is the second most common form of dementia. It can be prevented by maintaining overall physical health and addressing risk factors such as cardiovascular disease. Symptoms include physical and neurological impairments, and treatment involves identifying and treating the cause. Maintaining a healthy cardiovascular system is key to reducing the risk of developing this condition.
Vascular dementia is a very common form of dementia characterized by blockages in the blood supply to the brain leading to neurological symptoms. After Alzheimer’s disease, this condition is the leading cause of dementia in the elderly. It’s also preventable, especially if people start engaging in preventative care at a young age and are committed to maintaining their overall physical health to avoid medical problems.
The term ‘vascular dementia’ is an umbrella term for a very large family of conditions, all of which involve disruptions in the blood supply to the brain. In multi-infarct vascular dementia, for example, a series of small strokes create infarcts or blockages in blood vessels in the brain, while the post-stroke form occurs after someone has had a major stroke. Many forms are linked to cardiovascular disease such as arteriosclerosis and high blood pressure, and most prevention efforts focus on addressing these conditions to reduce risk factors for developing vascular dementia.
In all cases, impaired blood supply leads to physical and neurological symptoms. Patients with vascular dementia may have difficulty walking, lose fine motor control, experience tremors, and develop urinary incontinence. They also experience confusion, memory loss, difficulty concentrating, depression, sleepwalking, agitation, inappropriate emotional responses, and difficulty communicating with others. Although symptoms may initially be written off as mere signs of old age, they progressively worsen and the patient may become severely impaired.
Treatment for this condition involves identifying and treating the cause. Treatments may include the use of medications to manage blood pressure, embolization to remove clots, and physical therapy to help patients relearn physical skills they have lost due to brain damage. For severely compromised patients, it may be necessary to have a health care provider present at all times to monitor the patient or to place the patient in a long-term care facility that will keep the patient healthy and as stable as possible.
Many different processes are involved in vascular dementia, but by taking care of the cardiovascular system, patients can radically reduce their risk of developing this condition. Maintaining a healthy blood pressure is very important, as is exercising regularly to work the heart muscle and promote healthy circulation. Identifying early signs of stroke and neurological damage and getting prompt intervention can also reduce the severity of vascular dementia by limiting damage to the blood supply to the brain.
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