Prognosis
The 5-year survival rate is 39% for patients with vascular dementia compared with 75% for age-matched controls. Unlike Alzheimer's Disease, which merely weakens the victim to the point where he succumbs to bacterial infections like pneumonia, vascular dementia is a direct cause of death due to the possibility of a fatal interruption in the brain's blood supply.
The prognosis for MID is usually not very promising. Symptoms may begin suddenly with the onset of the disease and steadily become more prevalent with each progressive small stroke. Even though it may seem that people with MID improve over time, their condition often steadily declines after ensuing silent strokes. A rapidly deteriorating condition may lead to death from a stroke, heart disease, or infection.
Read more about this topic: Multi-infarct Dementia