Senior Health

Alzheimer’s, Dementia, and Aging: The Important Differences and Similarities

Vascular dementia is the second most common form that dementia takes

Cerebrovascular disease, or vascular dementia, is the second most common form of dementia. When a patient experiences blood clots in their brain, it progressively destroys brain cells, causing vascular dementia to develop.

Symptoms of vascular dementia are different from other forms of dementia and depend on the area of the brain where the cells were destroyed. Some symptoms include memory loss, confusion, and difficulty focusing your attention on one thing at a time.

Changes in your functioning can occur suddenly. Vascular dementia generally occurs in steps. You may have a sudden change in how you function, then things go back to normal. Suddenly, you experience a reoccurrence of symptoms. If you have a history of high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, or high cholesterol, you are at risk of vascular dementia.