18 - Control of vascular risk factors

Summary

The evidence base for the prevention of dementia and related brain pathologies is strongest for the control of vascular risk factors. Discussion of the control of vascular factors includes hypertension, overweight and obesity, and hypercholesterolemia, with consideration for the overlapping syndromes they represent. Dementia prevention during adulthood is facilitated by individual knowledge of levels of blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), blood cholesterol, and fasting blood glucose and insulin. There are three major forms of preventions, namely, primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention, the definitions of which depend on when an intervention is initiated in relation to disease onset or its clinical symptoms. Research studies evaluating the efficacy of prevention and control measures for dementia must consider a number of factors, which are also outlined in this chapter. A more holistic or lifestyle approach to dementia prevention may provide complementary solutions to this burgeoning health concern of the twenty-first century.