Vascular Disease is a Major Cause of Dementia

Vascular dementia (VaD) is the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer’s Disease and its prevalence increases with age.

Vascular dementia (VaD) is the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer’s Disease and its prevalence increases with age. In addition, cardiovascular disease contributes as a comorbidity to all other forms of dementia, and greatly increases the probability that Alzheimer’s pathology will result in clinical dementia. Vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) is a term encompassing vascular dementia as well as milder forms of pre-dementia cognitive impairment related to vascular damage that do not meet the criteria for a diagnosis of dementia. Hence, vascular causes of dementia (or “vascular cognitive impairment”) affect a broad spectrum of patients with various manifestations of cognitive decline. Throughout the workshop we discuss both VaD and VCI.

The aims of the workshop were to:

  1. Better understand the current and future research landscape and identify where existing initiatives are already working to achieve these goals.

  2. Better understand the perspectives of different key stakeholder groups and provide opportunities for collaboration.

  3. Identify a specific challenge(s) where a collaborative approach could provide added benefit and significant breakthrough.