Vascular dementia: six symptoms to watch out for

Vascular dementia is a common type of dementia caused by reduced blood flow to the brain, which damages and eventually kills the brain cells. The symptoms can come on suddenly or gradually,

and tend to get worse over time, but it is sometimes possible to slow this down though treatment. According to the NHS, there are six mild early signs of vascular dementia. These are:

Slowness of thought; difficulty with planning; trouble with understanding; problems with concentration; mood or behavioural changes; and problems with memory and language. In the early

stages, these problems may be barely noticeable or mistaken for something else, such as depression. However, they do indicate some brain damage has occurred and that treatment is needed.

These symptoms often continue to get worse over time, which could happen slowly or in sudden steps every few months or years. Later symptoms of vascular dementia depend on the part of the

brain that’s affected, but can include: Significant slowness of thought Feeling disorientated and confused Memory loss and difficulty concentrating Difficulty finding the right words Severe

personality changes, such as becoming aggressive Depression, mood swings and lack of interest or enthusiasm Finding it difficult to walk and keep balance, with frequent falls Loss of bladder

control (incontinence) Increasing difficulty with daily activities “See your GP if you think you have early symptoms of dementia, especially if you're over 65 years of age,” the NHS

said. “If it's spotted at an early stage, treatment may be able to stop the vascular dementia getting worse, or at least slow it down.” “But there's currently no cure for the

condition or a way to reverse the damage that's already occurred.” Things that can increase your chances of getting vascular dementia in later in life include high blood pressure, high

blood cholesterol, smoking, an unhealthy diet and lack of exercise. Being overweight can also raise your chances of getting the disease, as can having diabetes, excessive alcohol

consumption, atrial fibrillation - which is a type of irregular heartbeat - and other heart diseases These problems increase the risk of damage to the blood vessels in and around the brain,

or cause blood clots to develop inside them.