Partie 1 : Maladies des petites artères cérébrales liées à l'âge et à l'hypertension

Age- and hypertension-related small vessel diseases of the brain represent a major determinant of cognitive alterations and disability in the elderly. Their clinical and radiological phenotypes are extremely variable, from acute stroke to cognitive decline and disability, the onset of which can be insidious. Physicians should be well aware of these disorders because of their frequency in older populations. This is a key issue in general practice, because unlike neurodegenerative disease, preventive treatment, particularly antihypertensive drugs, is available. In the first part of this review, we will give an overview of the variability of the clinical and radiological expression of these forms of small vessel diseases of the brain.