Vascular dementia: symptoms, causes and treatment

Definition of vascular dementia (vascular dementia)

What is vascular dementia (vascular dementia)?

Vascular dementia (vascular) is a type of dementia that occurs due to damage to brain tissue due to disruption of blood flow to the brain. A person with this disease will have difficulty planning, assessing, remembering things and other thought processes.

Usually, this type of dementia occurs after a stroke. Stroke itself is a critical condition due to disrupted blood supply to the brain, which causes brain cells to start dying within minutes.

In addition, this type of dementia can also occur due to other conditions that damage blood vessels and reduce circulation, so that the brain loses oxygen and essential nutrients.

How common is this disease?

Vascular dementia (vascular) is a type of dementia that is quite common in the elderly, after Alzheimer's disease. People with dementia generally are elderly people aged over 65 years.

However, in rare cases, dementia due to lack of blood intake in the brain can strike a person at a younger age.

Signs & symptoms of vascular dementia (vascular dementia)

Symptoms of vascular dementia vary widely, depending on the part of the brain where blood flow is impaired.

At first glance, the symptoms are almost similar to the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, so you have to do some medical tests to find out the cause and observe the symptoms experienced by the patient.

The following are common signs and symptoms of vascular (vascular) dementia:

• Confusion.
• It's hard to concentrate on something.
• Decreased ability to think and poor decision making.
• It is difficult to make plans and reveal these plans to others, and cannot read the situation at hand.
• Irritability and irritability.
• Trouble remembering or forgetting easily.
• It is difficult to decide what to do next in activities that have specific steps.
• Shows symptoms of depression, loss of motivation, and doesn't care about your surroundings.
• Frequent urination or not being able to control the urge to urinate.

The symptoms mentioned above lead to vascular dementia if they appear suddenly after a stroke has occurred. This condition is sometimes referred to as post-stroke dementia.

All symptoms can appear simultaneously, it can also occur gradually. In some cases, this type of dementia also coincides with Alzheimer's disease or Lewy body dementia. This condition is also known as mixed dementia or combined dementia.

Causes of vascular dementia (vascular dementia)

The main cause of vascular (vascular) dementia is the occurrence of problems with the blood vessels of the brain, thereby reducing its ability to supply oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to brain tissue.

The following are some of the conditions that can cause vascular (vascular) dementia:

Stroke that blocks the arteries of the brain

Not all cases of stroke can cause dementia, only in certain cases. However, it generally occurs in people who have had a sudden stroke (the signs and symptoms of a stroke are not recognized by the sufferer)

Chronic narrowing or damage to brain blood vessels

These conditions include aging, high blood pressure (hypertension), atherosclerosis (plaque blockage in the heart arteries), diabetes, and bleeding in the brain.

Risk factors for vascular dementia (vascular dementia)

In general, the risk factors for this type of dementia are the same as the risk factors for heart disease and stroke. More specifically, the risk factors for vascular (vascular) dementia are:

• Increasing age. The risk of diseases that attack the brain increases with age, especially after the age of 65.
• History of heart disease or stroke. If you have had a stroke or have heart disease, such as atherosclerosis or atrial fibrillation (very fast heart rate), your risk of dementia is quite high.
• High cholesterol levels. High cholesterol can cause plaque in blood vessels that blocks blood flow to the brain.
• Diabetes. High glucose levels damage blood vessels throughout the body, including the brain, which can increase the risk of stroke and dementia.
• Hypertension. When your blood pressure is too high, it puts extra pressure on blood vessels anywhere in your body, including your brain. This condition increases the risk of blood vessel problems in the brain.
• Obesity. Obesity or overweight is a risk factor for various diseases that cause inflammation in the body, including heart disease.
• Smoking habit. Smoking habits can cause inflammation of the blood vessels, which can cause various diseases that interfere with blood flow in the body.

Diagnosis and treatment of vascular dementia (vascular dementia)

The information provided is not a substitute for medical advice. ALWAYS consult your doctor.

In fact, there is no specific medical test to diagnose this type of dementia. However, the doctor will ask you to undergo a series of medical tests, including:

Laboratory test

In this test, the doctor will see how the condition of blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels in the body.

Neurological health examination

The doctor will check the body's reflexes, muscle strength on the right and left sides of the body, check the ability of the sense of sight and hearing, and see the body's ability to maintain body balance and coordination.

Imaging test

Brain imaging procedures your doctor may recommend to help diagnose vascular dementia include CT scans, MRIs, and carotid ultrasound.

CT scans can provide information about the structure of your brain; notify if any areas show shrinkage; and detects evidence of stroke, and changes in blood vessels or tumors.

Furthermore, MRI can provide more detail than CT scans about strokes, minor strokes, and vascular abnormalities. While carotid ultrasound shows the movement of blood through your arteries.

Neuropsychological tests

Your doctor will test and assess your various abilities to:

• Speak, write and understand language.
• Work with numbers.
• Learn and remember information.
• Develop plans and solve problems.

What are the ways to treat vascular dementia (vascular dementia)?

According to the Stanford Health Care website, vascular dementia (vascular) is a disease that cannot be cured. However, medication is still being done to treat the underlying condition and reduce further brain damage.

Common treatments for vascular dementia include:

• Take medication to manage blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, diabetes, and blood clotting problems.
• Your doctor may prescribe a cholinesterase inhibitor, such as donepezil (Aricept), rivastigmine (Exelon), and galantamine (Razadyne).
• Undergo medical procedures to increase blood flow to the brain, such as carotid endarterectomy, angioplasty, and / or a stent (heart ring).

Home treatment of vascular dementia (vascular dementia)

In addition to following a doctor's care, vascular dementia patients also need to apply vascular dementia (vascular), including:

• Eat healthy, nutritious foods according to the recommendations of doctors and nutritionists. You should also stop the habit of drinking alcohol.
• Keep your weight within the ideal number. If you are overweight, you may need to stick to a doctor-directed diet.
• Exercise regularly and participate in social activities.
• Do brain-training exercises, like listening to music, taking art classes, or playing puzzles.

In undergoing these home remedies, dementia patients really need the help of family members. Therefore, the presence of family and relatives to support the effectiveness of dementia patient care is needed.

Prevention of vascular dementia (vascular dementia)

The health of the blood vessels of the brain is closely related to the health of your heart. Therefore, the way to prevent vascular dementia is to maintain the health of your heart, namely through the following steps:

• Maintain a normal range of blood pressure. If you have hypertension, follow the medications and treatments your doctor recommends.
• Take control of normal blood sugar and cholesterol. The trick, reduce the consumption of foods that contain high sugar and fat. For diabetes and high cholesterol patients, follow the doctor's medication and regularly check blood sugar.
• Eat healthy foods, such as vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds. Limit foods that are fried, high in fat, and high in salt.
• Exercise routine, at least 30 minutes every day.
• Quit smoking and avoid secondhand smoke around you.