Vascular dementia

Dementia: A major impairment in memory or learning with one of: agnosia, aphasia, apraxia or executive function impairment

Vascular dementia:
- Often early age onset (50-60s) and patients may have no or little insight early in the disease process. Memory is preserved so the diagnosis of dementia may not be obvious
- The typical 'step-wise' decline may not be present in patients with a strategic infarct (ie. thalamus)
- There may be symptoms of emotional blunting, disinhibition or apathy. Speech can also be affected. These patients may first present to psychiatry, with a change in personality or a question of depression

Here are the official 2012 guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of dementia