Vascular dementia results from reduced blood flow to the brain — often after strokes or from chronic small-vessel disease — and is the second most common dementia cause. Its signature is often stepwise decline (sudden drops after vascular events rather than a smooth slope) and early changes in planning, judgment, and processing speed, sometimes with memory relatively preserved at first. Recognizing the vascular pattern matters because the same measures that protect the heart — blood pressure control, diabetes management, not smoking — can slow its progression. Sudden new weakness, facial droop, or speech trouble is a stroke emergency: call emergency services immediately.
Vascular dementia is caused by reduced blood flow to the brain, often from strokes or narrowed small blood vessels, and is the second most common cause of dementia. It frequently shows a stepwise pat…