Abstract Dementia affects a significant portion of the population of elderly people and thus has become one of the most important health problems. At the same time, people with dementia are more likely to be also affected by concomitant diseases. Cardiovascular factors seem to be of particular importance. It has been shown that problems regarding blood pressure as well as lipid and carbohydrate metabolism play a crucial role for the rate of cognitive deterioration in elderly individuals in both vascular cognitive impairments and primary degenerative impairments (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease). A clear relationship is observed between vascular pathology and degenerative processes in the brain. The period of life in which the exposure to cardiovascular factors occurs seems to be key, and these relationships are best documented in middle age. With aging, their importance as factors accelerating the progression of cognitive impairments seems to diminish, especially in Alzheimer-type dementia. Research on the importance of comorbidity in dementia processes may be crucial for the development of prevention and therapy programs for dementia.