Clinical Significance of Microbleeds in Subcortical Vascular Dementia

• Published in: Stroke (1970) Vol. 38; no. 6; pp. 1949 - 1951
• Main Authors: Won Seo, Sang, Hwa Lee, Byung, Kim, Eun-Joo, Chin, Juhee, Sun Cho, Yoon, Yoon, Uicheul
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hagerstown, MD Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 01.06.2007
• Subjects: Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Blood. Blood coagulation. Reticuloendothelial system; Degenerative and inherited degenerative diseases of the nervous system. Leukodystrophies. Prion diseases; Dementia, Vascular - complications; Dementia, Vascular - diagnosis; Female; Humans; Intracranial Hemorrhages - complications; Intracranial Hemorrhages - diagnosis; Male; Medical sciences; Microcirculation; Middle Aged; Neurology; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Retrospective Studies; Vascular diseases and vascular malformations of the nervous system; Stroke; Nervous system diseases; Vascular dementia; Cognitive disorder; Cardiovascular disease; Cerebral disorder; Vascular disease; microbleeds; Central nervous system disease; Degenerative disease; cognitive impairment; Subcortex; Cerebrovascular disease
• ISSN: 0039-2499; 1524-4628; 1524-4628
• DOI: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.106.477315

Background and Purpose— Despite many studies investigating the association between the ischemic changes and cognitive impairment in subcortical vascular dementia (SVaD), few studies correlated cognitive impairment with microbleeds (MBs) frequently seen in SVaD. Methods— Participants consisted of 86 patients with SVaD who fulfilled the criteria proposed by Erkinjuntti et al. Results— MBs occurred in 73 of 86 (84.9%) patients with SVaD. MBs were most commonly distributed in the cortex, and the cortical MBs were most pronounced in the temporoparietal area. A multiple regression showed that the number of cerebral MB was an independent predictor of cognitive impairment in multiple domains and the severity of dementia even after controlling confounding factors such as age, education, ischemic severity, and number of lacunes. Conclusion— These results indicate that cerebral MB is one of the important factors that cause cognitive impairments in SVaD.