Hearts and minds – Harvard Health

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Vascular disease contributes to up to half of all cases of dementia. But lifestyle changes can prevent or slow down the course of this brain affliction.

photo of a doctor talking with a patient while holding a tablet with MRI images on it

Alzheimer’s disease, the most common and best-known form of dementia, is marked by memory loss, problem-solving difficulties, and mood or personality changes. But autopsy studies show that more than half of people with Alzheimer’s disease also have one or more other types of dementia. Most often, it’s a syndrome called vascular dementia.

“Over the past 10 years, we’ve begun to recognize that dementia should be considered as a spectrum of disorders in the brain,” says Dr. Anand Viswanathan, a neurologist in the Stroke Service and Memory Disorders Unit at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital. While Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia have different underlying causes, there’s a great deal of overlap in terms of their symptoms, presentation, and treatment, he says.

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