Risk factors for vascular dementia and Alzheimer disease.

Alzheimer disease and vascular cognitive impairment are important causes of cognitive decline in the elderly. It has now been shown that vascular risk factors have measurable negative effects on the brain and are associated with cognitive impairment. We review vascular factors that might be responsible to cognitive decline in Alzheimer disease and vascular cognitive impairment and the corresponding interventions that might prevent cognitive impairment as we age.