Frailty and Vascular Cognitive Impairment: Mechanisms Behind the Link

The relationship between frailty and cognitive impairment has been recognized for decades, but it was not until a few years ago that the interest in this relationship increased and is now being understood. Epidemiological evidence suggests that physical frailty may be linked to cognitive impairment since both conditions share pathophysiological mechanisms at the cellular and systemic levels. Aging itself promotes multiple vascular changes, making the brain susceptible to cognitive decline through mechanisms such as thinning of blood vessels, increased collagen accumulation, rupture of the blood-brain barrier, inflammation, and oxidative damage. The prevalence of frailty and cognitive decline increases as individuals become older, and cognitive impairment attributable to cerebrovascular disease has become a major public health problem since vascular dementia is now the second most common subtype of dementia. However, full understanding of the mechanisms underlying the relationship between frailty and vascular cognitive impairment remains fragmented. This review examines the link between frailty and vascular cognitive decline and also explores the role of vascular changes in the genesis of both conditions.