International Psychogeriatrics
Volume 15, Supplement 1 - 2003
Mixed Dementia: Alzheimer’s and Cerebrovascular Disease KENNETH ROCKWOOD
ABSTRACT. “Mixed dementia” is traditionally defined as Alzheimer’s disease with cerebrovascular
disease (CVD). Because the risks of both neurodegenerative dementias and cerebrovascular disease
increase with age, the mixed dementias are likely the most common. In practice, patients with
mixed dementia are diagnosed by one of two routes: Either they have evidence of a
neurodegenerative dementia and CVD at the outset, or, they have a classical neurodegenerative
presentation but are found to have ischemic lesions by neuroimaging. These facts have
implications for the development of evidence-based diagnostic criteria.
