One third of dementia risk attributable to small vessel disease

April 7, 2008 | Source: KurzweilAI

University of Washington researchers studying autopsies have found that for a third of people who became demented before death, the cause was small blood vessel disease–the cumulative effect of multiple small strokes caused by hypertension and diabetes.

A person with this disease experiences no sensation or problems until the cumulative effect reaches a tipping point. However, methods for preventing complications of hypertension and diabetes are currently available.

Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology News Release