Cerebrovascular disease affects blood supply to the brain and can lead to stroke or aneurysm. Risk factors include age, smoking, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Medical imaging can detect issues, and managing conditions and early detection are important.
Cerebrovascular disease (CVD) is a family of medical conditions that affect the blood supply to the brain. Having uninterrupted blood flow is critical to brain function, so cerebrovascular disease is a major concern when it occurs. Conditions that interfere with blood supply to the brain can be identified and addressed in a number of ways. The elderly, smokers, diabetics and people with high blood pressure are all at increased risk of developing cerebrovascular disease.
For people familiar with their Latin roots, this medical term can be recognized by its parts: “cerebro” refers to the brain, while “vascular” refers to veins and blood vessels. CVD includes conditions that affect the blood supply to the brain and the blood supply within the brain. Left untreated, a cerebrovascular condition can lead to a stroke or aneurysm, which could lead to brain damage or even death, depending on the location and severity of the event.
A wide range of things can interfere with blood supply to the brain, including venous malformations, hardening or narrowing of the veins and arteries that supply blood to the brain, blood clots, and vein blockage. Medical imaging studies can be used to examine blood supply in the brain, often with the use of tracers that light up veins and arteries to make them easier to see. In people who are more at risk for cerebrovascular disease, a doctor may recommend periodic screening, especially if neurological symptoms arise.
In addition to being linked to conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure, cerebrovascular disease can also be caused by certain medications, nutritional deficiencies, the development of tumors or trauma to the brain. Doctors who work with patients predisposed to developing cerebrovascular problems can suggest a number of techniques to reduce the risk. Managing conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes is important, as is awareness of the risks associated with taking certain medications.
It’s also important to pay attention to early signs of a neurological problem. Slurred speech, dizziness, confusion, trouble walking, lightheadedness, vision problems, and memory loss are all signs that something is wrong with the brain and are grounds for an immediate visit to the doctor. Cerebrovascular disease can emerge in perfectly healthy people, so a history of generally good health and no known disease is no excuse for delaying medical evaluation of neurological symptoms.
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