3c. Vascular Dementia
Vascular dementia is the second most common cause of dementia. Vascular dementia is caused when the blood vessels that supply blood to the brain are damaged.
Vascular dementia can be caused by numerous factors. Click or tap on the flip cards to learn more.
- Issues related to the brain, heart and blood vessels
- Usually caused by strokes
- Genetic Disorders
- Endocarditis, an infection in the heart valve
- Amyloid angiopathy; occurs when amyloid protein builds up in the brain’s blood vessels
- This can cause hemorrhaging or “bleeding strokes” in the brain
Vascular dementia is also a progressive dementia. However, this disease may or may not become worse over time, depending on if the patient suffers from additional strokes. In some cases, the disease may get better over time.
The symptoms of vascular dementia can occur suddenly and frequently after a stroke. To illustrate, the symptoms progress in a step-like manner. Changes in the patient’s ability happen suddenly, like climbing a large set of stairs that quickly takes you to a high elevation.
Use the picture below to learn more about vascular dementia symptoms.
Forgetting current or past events
Misplacing items
Difficulty following instructions or learning new information
Hallucinations or delusions
Poor judgment