Vascular dementia: a contemporary review of epidemiology, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment.

The past decade has seen a renewed interest in vascular dementia. Key epidemiologic studies have examined the prevalence, incidence, course and risk factors of vascular dementia. New classification systems have been developed to improve the reliability of the diagnosis, and there have been advances in diagnostic methodology, such as neuroimaging and neuropsychological assessment. New treatments for vascular dementia are being developed to protect the brain from cerebral ischemia and to limit progression of cognitive impairment. Diagnostic criteria for vascular dementia remain to be validated by carefully designed, systematic, clinicopathologic study. Once such criteria are validated, meaningful study of subgroups of vascular dementia can be explored. Until the relationship between vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease is better defined, the nosology for vascular dementia may be defined best as dementia associated with stroke.