Clinical studies and neuroimage findings in patients with risk factors for vascular dementia

OBJECTIVE: To associate neuroimages from elderly patients with a risk factor for vascular dementia with cognitive assessment test for detecting whether these findings are able to presuppose a cognitive disorder compatible to vascular dementia. METHOD: Were tested 31 patients older than sixty years old, from both sexes, with a risk factor for vascular dementia, hospitalized during the year 2011 in Fundação Santa Casa de Misericórdia do Pará. The following cognitive assessment tests were used: the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Cerard scale, the watch test and verbal fluency test. As a complement it was used Magnetic Nuclear Resonance (MNR); such exams were analyzed by the same radiologist according to the Fazekas modified classification. Later on the data were statically analyzed by the Chi-square test. RESULTS: the systemic arterial hypertension (71%), diabetes mellitus (58.1%), sedentariness (58.1%), and smoking (41.9%) were the main risk factors for vascular dementia. From Fazekas classification the most common findings were Fazekas 1 and 2 in 64.5% of the cases, 90% of the total presented cognitive disorder positive for vascular dementia. From the cognitive tests the ones who had greater sensibility for the dementia evaluation were the MMSE and Cerard scale. CONCLUSION: Thus, for tracking vascular dementia in elderly people it is necessary the use of at least two cognitive tests and a neuroimaging evaluation, emphasizing the fact that controlling and preventing risk factors for cardiovascular diseases it also contributes to the control of vascular dementia.