Vascular Dementia Symptoms
The cardinal sign of dementia is a decline in a person’s normal intellectual functions–most notably, a decline in memory. Problems with short-term memory typically show up first. There may be general forgetfulness, or a tendency to misplace household items. But over time, the memory lapses become more severe, and the dementia begins to take a debilitating toll on thinking, judgment, communication, and emotional stability.Multi-infarct dementia, also known as vascular dementia, is the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer disease (AD) in older adults. The term refers to a group of syndromes caused by different mechanisms all resulting in vascular lesions in the brain. Early detection and accurate diagnosis are important, as vascular dementia is at least partially preventable.
Vascular dementia is the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer disease (AD). The condition is not a single disease; it is a group of syndromes relating to different vascular mechanisms. Vascular dementia is preventable; therefore, early detection and an accurate diagnosis are important.
Symptoms
1. Vascular dementia symptoms can vary, depending on the portion of the brain that’s affected. One of vascular dementia’s earliest symptoms typically involves a decline in the ability to organize thoughts or actions. This makes it difficult to keep track of more than one thing at a time or to communicate details in a sequential manner.
2. Onset can be gradual or dramatic. It appears that a prolonged period of TIAs leads to a gradual decline in memory, whereas a stroke can produce profound symptoms immediately. Regardless of the rate of appearance, vascular dementia typically progresses in a stepwise fashion, where lapses in memory and reasoning abilities are followed by periods of stability, only to give way to further decline.
3. Memory problems may or may not be a prominent symptom, depending on whether brain regions important in memory are affected. Confusion, which may get worse at night. Difficulty concentrating, planning, communicating and following instructions.
4. Unlike Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia may progress in steps. Symptoms may worsen suddenly, then remain the same (plateau). Months or years later when another stroke occurs, symptoms worsen again. Dementia that results from many small strokes progresses more gradually than that due to a few large strokes.
5. Vascular dementia affects different people in different ways and the speed of the progression varies from person to person. Some symptoms may be similar to those of other types of dementia. However, people with vascular dementia may particularly experience problems concentrating and communicating depression accompanying the dementia symptoms of stroke, such as physical weakness or paralysis memory problems (although this may not be the first symptom).
6. Serious forgetfulness, mood swings and other behavioural changes are not a normal part of ageing. They could be caused by poor diet, malfunctioning thyroid, lack of sleep or too many medicines. Feelings of loneliness and boredom or depression can also cause forgetfulness. These conditions can often be helped and medical advice should be sought. Sometimes, however, mental changes are caused by diseases that permanently damage the brain cells.
7. The condition often occurs with Alzheimer’s disease, which further complicates its progression. VaD causes similar symptoms to those associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), such as memory loss. However, memory problems caused by VaD are usually easier to overcome with cues and reminders.
8. In most cases, symptoms make it difficult to hold a job, carry out household responsibilities, or maintain social relationships. People with vascular dementia also experience neurological symptoms such as exaggerated reflexes, problems with walking and balance, and/or weakness in the limbs, hands, and feet. Depending on the individual and on the cause of the dementia, delusions, confusion, agitation, urinary problems, and/or depression can also accompany vascular dementia.
