Vascular cognitive impairment

• The term vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) was introduced around the start of the new millennium and refers to the contribution of vascular pathology to any severity of cognitive impairment, ranging from subjective cognitive decline and mild cognitive impairment to dementia. Although vascular pathology is common in elderly individuals with cognitive decline, pure vascular dementia (that is, dementia caused solely by vascular pathology) is uncommon. Indeed, most patients with vascular dementia also have other types of pathology, the most common of which is Alzheimer disease (specifically, the diffuse accumulation of amyloid-beta plaques and neurofibrillary tangles composed of tau). At present, the main treatment for VCI is prevention by treating vascular diseases and other risk factors for VCI, such as hypertension and diabetes mellitus. Despite the current paucity of disease-modifying pharmacological treatments, we foresee that eventually, we might be able to target specific brain diseases to prevent cognitive decline and dementia.

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine (hsv//eng)

Keyword

quality-of-life

small vessel disease

white-matter hyperintensities

transient ischemic attack

cerebral amyloid angiopathy

randomized

controlled-trial

association/american stroke association

health-care

professionals

placebo-controlled trial

temporal-lobe atrophy

General & Internal Medicine

ui hc

1992

neurology

v42

p473

khann g

1984

neurology

v34

p939

iences

v62

p1002

ockholm

sweden

v5

p130

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)