Vascular cognitive impairment

Abstract

Vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) is a heterogeneous group of cognitive disorders that share a presumed vascular cause, and it is the second most common cause of cognitive impairment in the elderly after Alzheimer’s disease. Its prevalence is estimated to double over the next 30 years. Vascular cognitive impairment encompasses cases related to multiple cortico-subcortical infarcts, silent infarcts, strategic infarcts, small vessel disease, as well as mixed pathology. It is important to emphasize that some of the risk factors for vascular dementia are the same as for stroke, including high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and cigarette smoking. Compared with Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia has a higher rate of mortality and a slower rate of cognitive decline. The aim of the treatment in vascular cognitive impairment is mainly to identify and reduce the effect of the vascular risk factors. This article aims to resume the most important data regarding VCI.

Keywords

• cognitive impairment (vci)
• dementia
• risk factors
• cerebrovascular disease