Vascular Dementia

Vascular dementia, formally known as multi-infarct dementia, accounts for about 30% of all cases of dementia.

Vascular dementia occurs where blood vessels in the brain are damaged and the supply of oxygen to the brain is reduced. When oxygen supply fails in the brain, a series of mini strokes (infarcts) occur, causing the death of brain cells. The mini strokes that cause vascular dementia are often so small that they cause no immediate symptoms. Sometimes, they may cause some temporary confusion. However, the damage caused by new mini strokes accumulates over time, resulting in vascular dementia. Vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease can also occur together, acting in combination to cause dementia.

With vascular dementia, mental decline is likely to have a clear start date and symptoms tend to progress in a series of steps following each attack, suggesting that small strokes have been occurring.