Alzheimer's disease develops when nerve cells in the brain die. Symptoms begin slowly and become steadily worse. At this time, no one knows what causes the nerve cells to die, and there is no cure for the disease. The second most common cause of dementia in older people is multi-infarct dementia. Multi-infarct dementia usually affects people between the ages of 60 and 75.
Men are slightly more likely than women to have multi-infarct dementia.
Multi-infarct dementia is caused by a series of strokes that damage or destroy brain tissue. A stroke occurs when blood cannot get to the brain. A stroke also can happen when a blood vessel in the brain bursts. The main causes of strokes are untreated high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, and heart disease. Of these, the most important risk factor for multi-infarct dementia is high blood pressure.