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Updated: Mar 23, 2026
Evaluation of the Cognitive Performance of Hypertensive Patients with Silent Cerebrovascular Lesions
Published on: April 23, 2021
Insights
Vascular cognitive impairment is a common cause of cognitive decline. Early diagnosis and management of cerebrovascular disease can slow or halt its progression.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Geriatrics
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) is a significant cause of cognitive decline.
- It frequently co-occurs with other neurodegenerative diseases, complicating diagnosis and management.
Observation:
- Recent diagnostic criteria emphasize classifying impairment (mild cognitive impairment or dementia) and linking it to cerebrovascular disease.
- VCI can be subclassified into post-stroke and non-stroke types, with cerebral small vessel disease being a common non-stroke cause often identified via neuroimaging.
Findings:
- VCI is the second leading cause of cognitive impairment.
- New diagnostic criteria provide a clearer framework for identifying and classifying VCI.
- Cerebral small vessel disease is a key contributor to non-stroke VCI.
Implications:
- VCI is a treatable condition.
- Secondary prevention of vascular disease is crucial for slowing or halting VCI progression.
- Improved diagnostic frameworks enhance patient management and outcomes.
Purpose Of Review:
This article provides a diagnostic framework for vascular cognitive impairment, discusses prevalence and relationships to other neurodegenerative pathologies, and provides advice on diagnostic workup and management.
Recent Findings:
Vascular cognitive impairment is the second most common cause of cognitive impairment and frequently coexists with other neurodegenerative neuropathologies. Three new diagnostic criteria have been published recently; common diagnostic elements include the need to classify cognitive impairment as mild cognitive impairment or dementia and to link the cognitive impairment to evidence of clinically significant cerebrovascular disease. Vascular cognitive impairment may be further subclassified into poststroke vascular cognitive impairment and nonstroke vascular cognitive impairment, most commonly caused by cerebral small vessel disease, which may only be recognized on neuroimaging.
Summary:
Vascular cognitive impairment is a potentially treatable common cause of cognitive impairment, progression of which may be slowed or halted by secondary prevention of vascular disease.
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