Let’s dive into some relevant terms. “Cerebro” refers to things relating to the brain and “vascular” refers to the arteries and veins. Combined, “cerebrovascular” is blood flow in the brain. [1]
The brain, although only around 2% of the total body weight, receives 15-20% of the total body’s blood supply. It is the no.1 priority when it comes to blood since brain cells will die if the blood supply is stopped. [2]
The carotid and vertebral arteries are the two sets of ducts by which the heart pumps blood up to the brain. Cerebrovascular disease is observed when the brain is temporarily or permanently affected due to problems in the cerebral blood vessels. [1]
Note that vascular problems when diagnosed early by healthcare professionals are manageable. Vascular issues are harder to treat when neglected and, hence, get worse and become life-threatening. [3]
Now, vascular disease can cause or worsen dementia. “Silent strokes” or bleeding or blocked blood flow to the brain due to unhealthy blood vessels, coupled with high blood pressure. These may not manifest automatically but small injuries in areas of the brain occurring repeatedly can cause issues in brain functions including memory, gait and balance. [4]
Note that how vascular disease factors in the development of Alzheimer’s are yet to be determined by experts. But proactively taking lifestyle changes to address the health of your blood vessels, avoid strokes, heart attacks and other serious diseases, can generally improve your health and particularly reduce the risk of you developing vascular as well as cognitive diseases. [4]
References:
1. https://www.aans.org/en/Patients/Neurosurgical-Conditions-and-Treatments/Cerebrovascular-Disease
2.https://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/vessel.html
3. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17604-vascular-disease#:~:text=Vascular%20disease%20includes%20any%20condition,every%20part%20of%20your%20body
4. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/dementia