Calcified arteries and dementia

Does a person who has a calcified brain artery necessarily have dementia?

If not - will they get it, when, what are the exceptions, and how can the risk of dementia be reduced if an artery to the brain is already calcified?

[Abhijeet Deshmukh, MD]

Hello.

Can you mention the artery/arteries which are calcified?

Dementia is a manifestation of dysfunction of the frontal and parietal cortex, on a broad scale. In Dementia of the Alzheimer's type, there may be a generalized atrophy of the cerebral cortex.

If the artery which is calcified supplies to these two lobes, there are chances of vascular dementia. It will have to be confirmed by MRA (Magnetic Resonance Angiography) whether the calcified artery is blocked or patent.

You have not mentioned the age of the person. There is nothing much one can really do to prevent a possible dementia, as we don't know for sure if the calcification will produce dementia. If there is a history of hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol level, or any disease of the small blood vessels, these have to be controlled in order to prevent further calcification.

Regards

[Nicks_name]

Patient:
-31yo female (yes, THIRTY one!);
-familial hypercholesterolaemia, treated with 10mg Lipitor daily - cholesterol is now low;
-hypoglycaemia, hypotension

Family history:
-maternal grandmother died of alzheimers
-paternal grandmother died of alzheimers, also had familial hypercholesterolaemia;
-maternal grandfather had familial hypercholesterolaemia and died of heart attack;
-paternal grandfather died of diabetes;
-uncle has familial hypercholesterolaemia.

Comment on CT scan:
"Vertebral artery calcification is noted at the lower posterior fossa".