A study by the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has found that small vessel strokes, which are caused by small vessel disease, can slow down patients' thinking and affect their daily lives.

Small vessel disease is a common disease in old people. Although small vessel strokes do not usually cause major disability or mortality like large artery strokes, they can affect the cognition in patients and may ultimately cause dementia.

According to a study by the Faculty of Medicine of the Department of Medicine & Therapeutics at the CUHK conducted since 2002, 75 of 300 patients with small vessel disease have small vessel strokes at the average age of 71.

Half of these patients with small vessel strokes had a decline in cognitive function three months afterward.

Among patients with cognitive problems, 72 percent had mild cognitive decline, and 28 percent had dementia.

Even patients without cognitive impairment found it more difficult to handle daily activities compared to control subjects with no stroke.

Adrian Wong, research psychologist at the Department of Medicine & Therapeutics, said major symptoms of small vessel disease are slow thinking and poor judgment.

"That will affect the patient's ability to handle daily activities, such as handling money and taking medicine," he said.

He advised anyone having these symptoms to see a doctor for evaluation for small vessel disease.

He suggested small vessel disease patients do a simple 10-minute cognitive test - the Montreal Cognitive Assessment - for screening for cognitive impairment.

Although small vessel disease can impair one's cognition, awareness of the disease remains low.

"People assume that old people are slow in response because they are old," said Vincent Mok, associate professor at the Department of Medicine & Therapeutics." They don't know that small vessel disease may have caused the slow thinking."

Researchers from the university hoped to make use of World Stroke Day today to promote understanding of small vessel disease.

(HK Edition 10/29/2008 page1)