Alzheimers disease is caused by small strokes that limit the brains blood supply.
If you are worried about vascular dementia or know someone who is, this guide can help you understand what you need to do. It explains what vascular dementia is and how it is linked to stroke. It also explains what you can do if you or someone you know is diagnosed with vascular dementia. It’s aimed at people who've had a stroke or who think they may have vascular dementia, but there is information for family and friends as well.
If you have a question that is not answered in this guide call our Stroke Helpline. The information on this page can be accessed in the following formats: On this pageWhat is vascular dementia?Dementia can affect your memory, thinking, communication, mood and behaviour. These changes are due to damage in your brain, which can happen in different ways. Dementia often gets worse over time. Vascular dementia happens when the blood supply to parts of your brain becomes reduced. This can be due to blood vessels being clogged, a stroke or a series of small strokes. Over time, areas of brain cells stop working, leading to symptoms of dementia. Vascular dementia affects different people in different ways. The symptoms you develop will depend on the areas of your brain that have been damaged. There are different types of dementia, and it's possible to have more than one. This is called mixed dementia. Other kinds of dementia include Alzheimer's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies and frontotemporal dementia. Up to 20% of people with dementia in the UK have vascular dementia, and about 10% have mixed dementia. How is vascular dementia linked to stroke?When you have a stroke, the blood supply to part of your brain is cut off, killing brain cells. The damage from a stroke can cause problems with memory and thinking (cognitive problems). For many people, these problems improve over time. If the problems don’t improve or get worse this may be a sign of vascular dementia. Multiple small strokes or ‘silent’ strokes Symptoms of vascular dementia can appear suddenly if they are caused by a single stroke, or if they are caused by silent strokes they may appear gradually over time. Vascular dementia sometimes develops in ‘steps’, so that symptoms will stay the same for a while and then suddenly get worse. These steps are usually due to new strokes. Small vessel disease and vascular cognitive impairmentVascular dementia can also be caused by small vessel disease. This is when the small blood vessels deep within your brain become narrow and clogged up. The damage stops blood from getting to parts of your brain. The damage can build up over time and may cause signs of vascular cognitive impairment. This can eventually lead to vascular dementia. Many of the things that increase your risk of small vessel disease, such as high blood pressure and diabetes, also increase your risk of stroke. You can read more about how to reduce your risk of stroke and small vessel disease. Signs of vascular dementiaIf you or the people around you notice any of the signs below, you should visit your GP:
At a later stage, signs may include:
How is vascular dementia diagnosed?If you’re noticing signs of vascular dementia, then you need to go and see your GP as soon as possible. Your GP will talk to you and do a number of tests to see what may be causing your symptoms. It’s probably a good idea to take a friend or family member with you to help you answer your GP’s questions. They may have noticed symptoms that you are not aware of, or may be able to say how long you’ve had them. To help them rule out any other causes your GP is likely to:
Your GP may refer you to a dementia specialist. This could be:
It is possible that your assessment may happen at a memory clinic or a clinic at a hospital outpatients department. Your specialist will carry out further tests. They will ask you questions to see how your memory and thinking may have been affected. They may ask you to perform pencil- and paper-based memory and thinking tests. These tests are designed to be challenging. Don’t worry if you find them difficult. They help the clinician work out what is wrong and you can’t pass or fail these tests. They may also arrange for you to have a brain scan, so that they can see how much damage has been caused to your brain. Treating vascular dementia symptomsAt the moment, there are no treatments for vascular dementia, but it's possible to treat some of the symptoms. There may be ways to slow down the progress of dementia, and [eople with mixed dementia may be offered medication for Alzheimer's disease. Read more about the treatments available for the effects of vascular dementia. Dementia terms you may hear
Find out moreShareIs Alzheimer's caused by small strokes?The brain damage that occurs with a stroke or a ministroke (transient ischemic attack) may increase your risk of developing dementia.
Which type of dementia is caused by the occurrence of small strokes in the brain?Multi-infarct dementia (MID) is a common cause of memory loss in the elderly. MID is caused by multiple strokes (disruption of blood flow to the brain).
What happens in the brain to cause Alzheimer's disease?Alzheimer's disease is thought to be caused by the abnormal build-up of proteins in and around brain cells. One of the proteins involved is called amyloid, deposits of which form plaques around brain cells. The other protein is called tau, deposits of which form tangles within brain cells.
What kind of brain damage causes Alzheimer's disease?Amyloid plaques
One form, beta-amyloid 42, is thought to be especially toxic. In the Alzheimer's brain, abnormal levels of this naturally occurring protein clump together to form plaques that collect between neurons and disrupt cell function.
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