| Age | Primary risk factor, with incidence rising sharply after 65 years |
| Hypertension | Present in 70-90% of BD patients, making it the most important modifiable risk factor[@vascular2006] |
| Diabetes mellitus | Approximately 30-40% of BD patients have diabetes |
| Smoking | Current smokers have 2-3 fold increased risk |
| Hypercholesterolemia | Contributes to atherosclerosis of small vessels |
| Cardiovascular disease | Atrial fibrillation, coronary artery disease |
| Healthcare costs | Estimated annual cost of vascular dementia in the US exceeds $40 billion |
| Informal caregiving | Family caregivers provide majority of care, with significant physical and emotional burden |
| Quality of life | Progressive decline in functional abilities leads to loss of independence |
| Mortality | BD is associated with significantly increased mortality compared to age-matched controls |
| Demyelination | Loss of myelin sheaths around axons, particularly in periventricular regions |
| Axonal loss | Secondary axonal degeneration resulting from demyelination |
| Databases | OMIMOrphanetClinicalTrialsPubMed |