Numbness or paralysis on one side of the face or the body.Trouble speaking or understanding speech.Sudden post-stroke changes in thinking and perception may include: Symptoms may be most obvious when they happen soon after a major stroke. Vascular damage that starts in the brain areas that play a key role in storing and retrieving information may cause memory loss that is very similar to Alzheimer’s disease. Memory loss may or may not be a significant symptom depending on the specific brain areas where blood flow is reduced. The impact of vascular conditions on thinking skills varies widely, depending on the severity of the blood vessel damage and the part of the brain it affects. Learn more: Key Types of Dementia, Mixed Dementia Symptoms Many experts believe that vascular dementia remains underdiagnosed - like Alzheimer's disease - even though it's recognized as common. It is more common as a part of mixed dementia. Vascular changes that start in brain areas that play a key role in storing and retrieving information may cause memory loss that looks very much like Alzheimer's disease.Ībout 5% to 10% of people with dementia have vascular dementia alone. Other dementias share some common symptoms Sign up for our e-news to receive updates about Alzheimer’s and dementia care and research. Several studies have found that vascular changes and other brain abnormalities may interact in ways that increase the likelihood of dementia diagnosis.

Vascular brain changes often coexist with changes linked to other types of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies.

A growing number of experts prefer the term “vascular cognitive impairment” (VCI) to “vascular dementia” because they feel it better expresses the concept that vascular thinking changes can range from mild to severe. Thinking difficulties may also begin as mild changes that gradually worsen as a result of multiple minor strokes or another condition that affects smaller blood vessels, leading to widespread damage. In vascular dementia, changes in thinking skills sometimes occur suddenly after a stroke, which blocks major blood vessels in the brain. Inadequate blood flow can damage and eventually kill cells anywhere in the body, but the brain is especially vulnerable.

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