Open AccessPathophysiologic relationship between Alzheimer's disease, cerebrovascular disease, and cardiovascular risk: A review and synthesis
Author(s) -
Santos Cláudia Y.,
Snyder Peter J.,
Wu WenChih,
Zhang Mia,
Echeverria Ana,
Alber Jessica
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
alzheimer's and dementia: diagnosis, assessment and disease monitoring
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.497
H-Index - 37
ISSN - 2352-8729
DOI - 10.1016/j.dadm.2017.01.005
Subject(s) - dementia , disease , medicine , life expectancy , epidemiology , vascular dementia , etiology , population , alzheimer's disease , intensive care medicine , neuroscience , gerontology , psychology , psychiatry , pathology , environmental health
As the population ages due to demographic trends and gains in life expectancy, the incidence and prevalence of dementia increases, and the need to understand the etiology and pathogenesis of dementia becomes ever more urgent. Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common form of dementia, is a complex disease, the mechanisms of which are poorly understood. The more we learn about AD, the more questions are raised about our current conceptual models of disease. In the absence of a cure or the means by which to slow disease progress, it may be prudent to apply our current knowledge of the intersection between AD, cardiovascular disease, and cerebrovascular disease to foster efforts to delay or slow the onset of AD. This review discusses our current understanding of the epidemiology, genetics, and pathophysiology of AD, the intersection between AD and vascular causes of dementia, and proposes future directions for research and prevention.