Vascular dementia: stroke prevention takes on new urgency.

Vascular dementia is a clinical syndrome of acquired intellectual impairment resulting from brain injury due to a cerebrovascular disorder. It is a complex diagnosis, and diagnostic criteria vary. In community practice, the physician can probably make the diagnosis based on the history and medical examination. CT demonstration of one or more infarcts increases the likelihood of this diagnosis. Hypertension is a major risk factor for vascular dementia. Others include smoking, hyperlipidemia, atrial fibrillation, diabetes, and a sedentary lifestyle. Cerebrovascular disease is an important cause of cognitive decline in older patients. Therefore, it is important to recognize risk factors for stroke and institute measures for prevention.