Diagnosis and management of vascular cognitive impairment.

Accurate diagnosis of vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) is important but may be difficult. VCI diagnoses depend on determinations of the presence of both cognitive impairment and cerebrovascular disease (CVD), temporal causal links between cognitive impairment and CVD, and the presence or absence of other potential contributors to cognitive impairment, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Diagnostic criteria differ across currently utilized systems, resulting in widely differing VCI prevalence rates. Also, current systems may not be able to differentiate "pure" VCI from "mixed" AD and CVD. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke harmonization criteria for VCI have been developed for study and validation to help bridge gaps in our understanding of VCI diagnosis. VCI management begins with atherogenic risk factor control. Current VCI treatment options demonstrate statistical improvement but not consistent global clinical efficacy. Future clinical trials should concentrate on both primary risk factor control and development of new therapeutic agents to treat patients already diagnosed with VCI.