Health
Dementia and vascular disease
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted July 2, 2007
An individual's likelihood of having clinical signs of dementia increases with the number of different disease processes present in the brain, according to a study in Neurology, published online June 13.
The combination of Alzheimer's disease and strokes is the most common mix of pathologies in the brains of people with dementia, researchers said. Their findings suggest that physicians' efforts to prevent and treat vascular disease could reduce the occurrence of dementia, researchers added.
The number of people with Alzheimer's is estimated at 26 million worldwide, by the Alzheimer's Assn. That number is expected to increase to more than 106 million by 2050.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2007/07/02/hlbf0702.htm.
