Following are some facts and tips regarding this form of dementia:
- The third leading cause of death
- Affects 700,000 persons yearly: two-thirds survive
- Depression is common with a 20 percent occurrence rate
- Generally the result of various diverse processes involving the brain and heart
- There can be silent events that occur in the brain leading to cognitive decline that the person remains unaware of
- Hypertension and history of stroke results in increased risk of dementia
- Slow process in the brain
- Incidence rate in women rises from 0.3 to 1.36 with the age range of 65 to 69, increasing to 9.3 for the age of 85 years and older
- Incidence rate for men is between 1.3 and 2.2 for age 65 to 69, rising to 9.3 and 15.9 for the age of 90 years and older
Common Risk Factors:
Genetic factors versus modifiable risk factors:
Modifiable Risk Factors:
- Smoking
- Poor diet
- Overweight
- Poor nutrition
- Lack of exercise
- High blood pressure
- Stress and anxiety
- Sleep apnea
- Alcohol abuse (3 or more drinks per day for 3 to 4 days per week found to be significantly associated with risk for future TIA events, transient ischemic stroke)
Genetic Factors:
- Age
- Diabetes
- Family History
Symptoms often Observed with Cardiovascular Dementia:
- Memory is confused; there are losses of information, what the person recalls can be incorrect, altered, or distorted
- Poor sustained attention
- Continually distracted by the irrelevant (information that is not relevant or germane to the topic being discussed)
- Constant interference of processes of selective attention, taking in all the information from the environment, whether it is relevant or not leading to the continual interference of excess stimuli
- Tendency to shift from one task to another without completing any tasks, or unable to complete a given task within a specified period of time
- The tendency to interrupt others and blurt out statements or comments
- Getting stuck on one issue or thing, perseveration
- Confusion in learning new information
- Difficulty with any step by step, sequential instruction such as how to work a piece of machinery or small appliance
- Problems planning, organizing or making decisions
- Paper piles become larger and more disorganized
- The day passes without being able to decide upon which task to complete
- Daily routines are easily disrupted and lost
- Emotional reactivity, becoming impulsive, overly judgmental and critical of others
- Social withdrawal, signs of depression
- Social mistakes, saying or doing the wrong thing at the wrong time
- Inappropriate sexual behavior or comments
- Problems communicating thoughts due to lost words
- Statements may not make sense or relate to the conversation
- Behavior from the past emerges, extreme anger not seen for many, many years reappears
- There can be a loss of inhibition, they feel it, they do it
- Loss of a sense of self, connection to the past, values, morals and beliefs
- Loss of future plans based upon value and belief system
- Not aware of time, poor time management, sense of time
- Difficulty anticipating consequences of one’s actions, the wrong place at the wrong time
Look at Tips for Aging Gracefully, Non-Medical Treatment of any Brain Injury or Dementia articles also available on this website.