Vascular dementia, with special reference to its vascular and immunological events

Vascular dementia (VaD) is an poorly defined entity; it relates to different vascular mechanisms and different changes in the brain and has different clinical manifestations with different etiologies. From the pathogenetic and therapeutic point of view, we tried to find some practical events that could help identify VaD. We combined critical review with our own clinical and laboratory experience and found that some vascular, nonvascular, and immunological components are involved in the pathogenesis and treatment of VaD. We concluded that although the definition, etiology, clinical manifestation, laboratory data, and treatment are still controversial, it is useful to find some common, key points in the pathogenesis and treatment of VaD.