Cerebrovascular Disease

Advancing age is associated with declines in cognitive ability. Incident disease often occurs concurrent to these cognitive declines, particularly Alzheimer's disease (AD). Consequently, AD has been ascribed as the cause for much of the cognitive impairment associated with advancing age. Vascular risk factors such as obesity, hypertension, and diabetes are common and often present for decades before the age of risk for cognitive decline. In this article, evidence that vascular risk factors are an important and modifiable risk for later-life cognitive impairment is reviewed.