Vascular Dementia - What Is Vascular Dementia

Vascular Dementia - Dementia disease is very named today, and almost all of us have affected relative of this disease, in its multiple forms.

It covers conditions of very different types and clinical manifestations, as well as a bottomless pit of associated pathologies. Alzheimer's disease, the disease of bodies of Levy, senile dementia, vascular dementia, disease of small glass, are different variants of dementia. The fact of giving name us can be oriented on the evolution over time of the disease, and clinical manifestations, but the important thing will always treat the symptoms, so that the patient has a good quality of life and a minimum level of dependence on others.


According to Wikipedia, the dementia is defined as the progressive loss of cognitive functions, due to damage or brain disorders. Although the type of cognitive impairment most we see in our service is caused by vascular dementia, since, progressively going demonstrating brain damage acquired, in the form of cognitive and behavioural changes fundamentally.

vascular dementia

Vascular dementia appears as a result of microscopic small infarcts, tiny stroke or bleeding, which go unnoticed for the patient, but after the time of having been continued, giving as a result already larger involvement of a brain area, which Yes will start to have clinical consequences. It is the case of patients who for years are good, but who begin to have small oversights of memory, to be slower, to have some specific behavioral alterations, or be more irritable, more suspicious, more apathetic.

The causes of these microinfarctions or microictus are multiple, summarized in cardiovascular risk factors: hypertension, diabetes, smoking, sedentary lifestyle, emotional stress, high cholesterol, high uric acid, etc.

As it happens in the movement of the entire body, brain blood vessels are affected by all these factors. High blood pressure causes blood vessel have to withstand a pressure of fluid higher than normal for a long time. Imagine a pipe that carries water to our home, and why should circulate water at a speed of 10 kilometers per hour. However, the speed that enters water going through the pipe, and walk the path that is 100 km per hour. The tension that is supporting the pipe is much larger than that for which it was built, which puts it in danger of power pop. Let us take this same example for when we talk about our bloodstream, which carries the blood to the brain. Also occurs with high cholesterol, which for a long time in blood at the end sticks to the walls of the "pipes", making them more weak, also putting them in danger. Or the same thing with smoking, sedentary lifestyle and emotional stress, that make our "pipes" are narrowing increasingly.

Vascular Dementia - What Is Vascular Dementia

However, if these vascular accidents occur in tiny vessels, supplying small brain areas, what notice will not be much. Instead if they continuously in time, appear problems because many small infartitos will cause that large areas will be damaged. Here the explanation of those cognitive and behavioral problems that appear in a progressive way in time.

How To Prevent It ?

First of all: controlling cardiovascular risk factors. We should live a healthy life: stop smoking, drinking alcohol in large amounts, control high blood pressure, take a healthy diet low in saturated fat, good control of sugar in diabetics, a proper weight, do sedentary too, and manage stress of the day will help us to have a healthy brain blood circulation and to not give us problems in the long run.

In case of longer present symptoms, it is important to start the control of cardiovascular risk factors, and also go to a centre specializing in the treatment of brain damage, which can advise us the most appropriate therapeutic option.

You can read another articles like  Treatment For Dementia,  Dementia Strategy, Depression and Dementia, Signs Of Dementia.





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