VASCULAR DEMENTIA

Course overview

DEMENTIA IS A SYNDROME OF CHRONIC PROGRESSIVE COGNITIVE DECLINE RESULTING IN FUNCTIONAL IMPAIRMENT. IN THE DIAGNOSTIC MANUAL OF MENTAL DISORDERS, FIFTH EDITION (DSM-V), COGNITIVE DECLINE IS QUANTIFIED AS DEFICITS IN ONE OR MORE DOMAINS (E.G., MEMORY, EXECUTIVE FUNCTION, VISUOSPATIAL, LANGUAGE, ATTENTION). SECOND ONLY TO ALZHEIMER DISEASE, VASCULAR DEMENTIA IS ONE OF THE MOST COMMON CAUSES OF DEMENTIA AFFECTING THE ELDERLY (AGED GREATER THAN 65 YEARS), WITH A VARIABLE PRESENTATION AND UNPREDICTABLE DISEASE PROGRESSION. THE DIAGNOSIS OF VASCULAR DEMENTIA IS OBTAINED BY A THOROUGH HISTORY AND PHYSICAL EXAMINATION, INCLUDING A MEASURE OF COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE. VASCULAR DEMENTIA IS DIAGNOSTICALLY CHALLENGING AND NOT PRECISE GIVEN THE MANY CAUSES OF DEMENTIA, INCLUDING THE POTENTIAL FOR A MIXED DEMENTIA SYNDROME. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE CAUSE AND PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF VASCULAR DEMENTIA AND HIGHLIGHTS THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM'S ROLE IN ITS MANAGEMENT.