# Alzheimer Disease and Treatment of Vascular Risk Factors **URL:** \ **Category:** Neuroscience, Psychology, and Health\ **Tags:** dementia\ **Created:** [December 31, 2017, 4:33pm UTC](https://forum.artofmemory.com/t/alzheimer-disease-and-treatment-of-vascular-risk-factors/33172 "2017-12-31T16:33:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Josh](https://forum.artofmemory.com/user_avatar/forum.artofmemory.com/josh/32/21_2.png) [@Josh](https://forum.artofmemory.com/u/Josh)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2017, 4:33pm UTC](https://forum.artofmemory.com/t/alzheimer-disease-and-treatment-of-vascular-risk-factors/33172/1 "2017-12-31T16:33:26Z")
[Treatment of vascular risk factors is associated with slower decline in Alzheimer disease](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19720973) > **BACKGROUND:** There is growing evidence that vascular risk factors (VRF) contribute to cognitive decline. Whether their treatment can slow down the progression of Alzheimer disease (AD) remains unsettled. The aim of this observational study was to evaluate whether the treatment of VRF is associated with a slower cognitive decline in patients who have AD without cerebrovascular disease (CVD)... > > **CONCLUSIONS:** In patients who have Alzheimer disease without CVD, treatment of vascular risk factors (VRF) is associated with a slower decline in Mini-Mental State Examination score. Randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm this association, but our data suggest that dementia should not prevent treatment of VRF. See also: [https://nutritionfacts.org/2017/12/26/hope-for-alzheimers-patients/](https://nutritionfacts.org/2017/12/26/hope-for-alzheimers-patients/) > As shown in Alzheimer’s and Atherosclerosis of the Brain, you can see the vast difference in the amount of atherosclerosis in the arteries that specifically supply blood to critical memory and learning centers of the brain of healthy, non-demented controls compared to those with Alzheimer’s disease. In light of such findings, some have even suggested the disease be reclassified as vascular disorder. > > This is good news, though, because atherosclerosis is potentially reversible. These findings were confirmed in two larger studies of more than 1,000 autopsies each, which found the same thing. Atherosclerosis in the brain is significantly more frequent and severe in those with Alzheimer’s disease… > > But does treatment of vascular risk factors like high blood pressure and high cholesterol actually make a difference? **We didn’t know, until a recent study of 300 patients with Alzheimer’s. Those with all their vascular risk factors treated showed significantly less decline and slowed progression of their disease, compared with those who went untreated.**