Vascular dementia
ভাস্কুলার ডিমেনশিয়া
Common Symptoms
⚠️ This symptom list is for educational purposes. Having these symptoms does not mean you have this condition. See a doctor for proper diagnosis.
Medicines Commonly Used
⚠️ These medicines are commonly used for confirmed diagnoses of this condition. This is NOT a recommendation or prescription. Treatment must be determined by your doctor.
No medicines have been linked to this condition yet.
Dementia is a broad term for several diseases that affect different functions of the brain, memory included. Vascular dementia is one of the common types, and it happens when blood flow to the brain is reduced.
Symptoms of vascular dementia
Vascular dementia can come on suddenly, or it can build up slowly over time.
The symptoms include:
- slowness of thought
- difficulty with planning and understanding
- problems with concentration
- changes to your mood, personality or behaviour
- feeling disoriented and confused
- difficulty walking and keeping balance
- symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, like problems with memory and language
Many people with vascular dementia also have Alzheimer's disease. Together, these problems can make daily activities harder and harder to manage.
Read more: Alzheimer’s disease
Causes of vascular dementia
Vascular dementia happens when the brain doesn't get enough blood. Without it, brain cells are damaged and in time they die.
Blood flow to the brain can be reduced in a few ways:
- narrowing and blockage of the small blood vessels inside the brain
- a single stroke, where the blood supply to part of the brain is suddenly cut off
- lots of "mini strokes" (transient ischaemic attacks or TIAs) that cause tiny but widespread damage to the brain
Read more: Stroke · Transient ischaemic attack (TIA)
Risk factors for vascular dementia
Vascular dementia happens when not enough blood reaches the brain. Often this is linked to other conditions, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and irregular heart rhythms. Lifestyle habits like smoking and being overweight can be linked to it too.
If you deal with these, you may lower your risk of vascular dementia later in life.
Read more: High blood pressure (hypertension)
When to see a doctor
If you're worried about your memory, or you think you may have dementia, speak to your doctor.
If you're worried about someone else, encourage them to make an appointment. You could offer to go along with them.
How vascular dementia is diagnosed
Dementia isn't the only thing that can cause memory problems. Depression, stress, medicines or other health problems can cause them too.
Your doctor can do some simple checks to try to find the cause. If needed, they can refer you to a specialist for more tests.
Treatment for vascular dementia
There's no cure for vascular dementia at the moment. But there are treatments that can help manage the symptoms. Your doctor or another health professional can talk through the best treatment options for you.
There are things you can do to live well for as long as possible with dementia.
Your future health and social care needs will have to be assessed, and a care plan drawn up. It's a way of making sure you get the right treatment for your needs. The plan looks at where you may need some help, like:
- what support you or your carer need for you to remain as independent as possible
- whether there are any changes that need to be made to your home to make it easier to live in
- whether you need any financial assistance