Vascular
Dementia is usually a general term applied to a specific group of
illnesses with similar inception & symptoms
This form of Dementia
is usually attributed to a reduced or interrupted blood supply to
the brain and accounts for 18% of all dementia's in younger people
in UK. A stroke is the most common cause, and once begun the disease
progresses within an established pattern similar to Alzheimer's
Disease
The earliest distinguishing
characteristic is an irregular loss of mental ability akin to temporary
aberrations often with focal neurological indicators
Those mainly at risk
include people with untreated high blood pressure, and recent studies
also suggest there may be a higher incidence among certain minority
ethnic groups (Patel et al, 1998)
Early diagnosis can
lead to a full recovery. Diagnosis follows a similar pattern to
other forms of dementia, and is often aimed at excluding other variations.
Test will include blood samples and neuroimaging, though a whole
sub-set of further tests may be employed
Treatment includes measures
to prevent further strokes, antiplatelet drugs and also asprin
For an in depth report
on this form of dementia have a look at
http://www.emedicine.com/med/topic3150.htm
presenting research
by Kannayiram Alagiakrishnan MD, which is both extensive and relatively
easy to understand
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