Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia that affects nearly 5.5 million Americans, and although scientists know more about it now than 50 years ago, there is still much they are trying to uncover. Recent studies have suggested that diseased blood vessels found within the brain may be more of a significant factor in the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s than previously thought.









Researchers from the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Cente r analyzed data from the brains of 1143 who had donated their brains to research following their deaths. Out of this data, 478 related to patients that had Alzheimer’s disease dementia. From their studies, the team discovered that the probability of having dementia was far higher in those with moderate to severe brain vessel disease and that this probability increased depending on the severity of the brain vessel disease.

Neurologist and Researcher Dr. Zoe Arvanitakis was one of the scientists to take part in the study, and she commented that ” Both large and small vessel diseases have effects on dementia and thinking abilities, independently of one another, and independently of the common causes of dementia such as Alzheimer’s pathology and strokes.”









By continuing to work on the research, the scientists are hopeful that they can uncover more about the relationship between brain vessel diseases and Alzheimer’s which will enable more detailed and targeted treatments to be designed. With figures implying that dementia patients’ numbers, in general, are set to triple over the next three decades, it is a major battle to win, but with the right team, time, and money, anything is possible.

The Study that published in The Lancet Neurology

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