Vascular Dementia Diagnosis

Primary care physicians could nearly always determine that you have dementia, but there is no particular test which verifies you have vascular dementia. Your primary care physician will make a judgment about whether vascular dementia is the most likely cause of your symptoms based on the information you offer, your medical history for stroke or disorders of the heart and blood vessels, and results of tests which might help clarify your diagnosis.

Lab tests

If your medical record does not contain recent values for key indicators of the health of your heart and blood vessels, your primary care physician will assess your:

• Blood pressure

• Cholesterol

• Blood sugar

He or she might also order tests to rule out other potential causes of memory loss and confusion, like:

• Thyroid disorders

• Vitamin deficiencies

Neurological exam

Your primary care physician is likely to check your overall neurological health by testing your:

• Reflexes

• Muscular tone and strength, and how strength on one side of your body compared to the other side.

• Ability to stand out of a chair and walk through the room.

• Sense of touch and sight

• Coordination

• Balance

Brain imaging

Pictures of your brain could pinpoint visible abnormalities caused by strokes, blood vessel diseases, tumors or trauma which might cause changes in thinking and reasoning. A brain-imaging study could help your primary care physician zero in on more likely causes for your symptoms and rule out other causes.

Brain-imaging procedures your primary care physician might suggest to help diagnose vascular dementia include:

• Computerized tomography (CT) scan - For a computerized tomography (CT) scan, you will lie down on a narrow table which slides into a small chamber. X-rays pass through your body from various angles, and a computer uses this information to create detailed cross-sectional pictures (slices) of your brain.
  A computerized tomography (CT) scan could offer information about your brain's structure, tell whether any areas show shrinkage and find evidence of strokes, mini-strokes or transient ischemic attacks, blood vessel changes or tumors. Sometimes you will receive an intravenous (IV) injection of a contrast agent which will help highlight specific brain tissues.

• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) – An Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses radio waves and a strong magnetic field to produce detailed pictures of your brain. You lie on a narrow table which slides into a tube-shaped Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine, which makes loud banging noises while it produces pictures.
  Magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs) are painless, but some people feel claustrophobic inside the machine and are disturbed by the noise. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs) are generally the preferred imaging test because Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could offer even more detail than CT scans about strokes, mini-strokes and blood vessel abnormalities.

Carotid ultrasound

This procedure uses high-frequency sound waves to decide whether your carotid arteries — which run up through either side of your neck to supply blood to the brain —

show signs of constricting as a result of plaque deposits or structural problems. Your test might include a Doppler ultrasound, which shows the movement of blood through your arteries in addition to structural features.

Neuropsychological tests

This type of examination evaluates your ability to:

• Speak, write and understand language

• Work with numbers

• Learn and remember information

• Work out a plan of attack and resolve a problem

• Respond effectively to hypothetical situations

Neuropsychological tests sometimes show typical outcomes for people with different types of dementia. People with vascular dementia might have an exceptionally hard time evaluating a problem and developing an effective solution.

They might be less likely to have trouble learning new information and remembering than are people with dementia due to Alzheimer's disease unless their blood vessel problems affect specific brain areas crucial for memory. Although, there's usually a lot of overlap in exam results for people with vascular dementia and people who also have the brain changes of Alzheimer's disease.

Vascular Dementia Treatment

Treatment is generally focused on managing health problems and risk factors that contribute to vascular dementia.

Controlling conditions that have an effect on the underlying health of your heart and blood vessels could sometimes slow down the rate at which vascular dementia worsens, And could sometimes stop the decline as well. Depending on your individual situation, your primary care physician might prescribe medications to:

• Lower your blood pressure

• Lower your cholesterol level

• Stop your blood from clotting and keep your arteries clear

• Help control your glucose levels if you are diabetic