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Stroke and dementia, aka dementia, are two common conditions that affect the brain. They often occur together. This is because both have a tendency to develop in old age. However, sometimes they occur together because certain types of stroke can cause dementia symptoms.
How does stroke affect memory?
A stroke usually causes significant symptoms such as weakness, loss of vision, or difficulty speaking. However, sometimes mild stroke sufferers don't experience this.
When a mild stroke occurs at a different location in the brain, over time it causes a change in memory or a change in attitude. This condition is often called vascular dementia.
What is dementia and is it related to stroke?
Dementia or dementia is a neurological condition characterized by a combination of decreased memory, difficulty caring for oneself, self-awareness and attitudes and difficulty making decisions. The causes of dementia are varied and may include Alzheimer's disease or a rare brain disorder called Pick's disease and Lewy dementia. Another common cause of dementia, called vascular dementia, is caused by multiple strokes and affects the part of the brain responsible for memory integration, behavior, alertness and self-care.
Vascular dementia usually appears over time, not suddenly. However, those who experience minor strokes often experience mild impairment in memory or thinking. The brain's ability to handle minor strokes often makes patients and family members unaware of the occurrence of strokes.
Ultimately, family members may complain of significant symptoms of dementia after a mild stroke. The buildup of brain damage from various minor strokes can eventually have an impact on a critical condition where dementia symptoms become worse or manifest. The additive effects of passive stroke may be able to counteract the brain's ability to compensate for a small fraction of the brain damage. Sometimes, a minor illness or minor infection can actually impact the symptoms of dementia. When this happens, some people get better after recovering from the disease, while some may continue to show real signs of dementia even after recovering. The type of dementia caused by a minor stroke, vascular dementia, is also sometimes referred to as 'small vessel disease' or multi-infarct dementia because it is caused by a minor stroke (infarction) caused by blood clots in small blood vessels in the brain. Usually there is a feature of vascular dementia or small vessel disease which can be detected by total CT imaging or MRI of the brain. Often a trained neurologist can detect vascular dementia through a medical history and physical examination.
Strokes that contribute to vascular dementia are most often caused by cerebrovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol or smoking.
Types of dementia such as Alzheimer's disease can occur at the same time as vascular dementia. In such situations, the symptoms of dementia are usually more significant than with other types of dementia.
Caring for patients with vascular dementia requires a high level of support and medical care and management to prevent further strokes. Deterioration and impairment of memory and understanding can co-occur with fever, illness and infection.
Common symptoms of vascular dementia include forgetfulness, confusion, confusion and mood swings. Appetite can change, and can lead to loss of appetite. Some people tend to sleep more often. Some people lose important things or may get lost, even where they used to go. It is important to see a doctor in order to get an accurate diagnosis of the causes of dementia because vascular dementia treatment is different from other types of dementia. Treatment of vascular dementia focuses on preventing stroke while treatment of other types of dementia focuses on drugs that prevent the damage to brain cells associated with Alzheimer's disease and similar causes of dementia.
