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Vascular risk factors, atherosclerosis, cerebral white matter lesions and cerebral perfusion in a population-based study

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Abstract

We studied risk factors for cerebral vascular disease (blood pressure and hypertension, factor VIIc, factor VIIIc, fibrinogen), indicators of atherosclerosis (intima-media thickness and plaques in the carotid artery) and cerebral white matter lesions in relation to regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in 60 persons (aged 65–85 years) recruited from a population-based study. rCBF was assessed with single-photon emission tomography using technetium-99md,l-hexamethylpropylene amine oxime (99mTc-HMPAO). Statistical analysis was performed with multiple linear regression with adjustment for age, sex and ventricle-to-brain ratio. A significant positive association was found between systolic and diastolic blood pressure and temporo-parietal rCBF. In analysis with quartiles of the distribution, we found a threshold effect for the relation of low diastolic blood pressure (≤60 mmHg) and low temporo-parietal rCBF. Levels of plasma fibrinogen were inversely related to parietal rCBF, with a threshold effect of high fibrinogen levels (>3.2 g/1) and low rCBF. Increased atherosclerosis was related to low rCBF in all cortical regions, but these associations were not significant. No consistent relation was observed between severity of cerebral white matter lesions and rCBF. Our results may have implications for blood pressure control in the elderly population.

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Author notes

  1. J. J. Claus

    Present address: Department of Neurology, Academic Medical Center, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Erasmus University Medical School, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    J. J. Claus, M. M. B. Breteler, M. L. Bots, D. E. Grobbee & A. Hofman

  2. Department of Neurology, University Hospital Rotterdam Dijkzigt, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    D. Hasan, J. C. van Swieten & F. van Harskamp

  3. Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Rotterdam Dijkzigt, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    E. P. Krenning

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Claus, J.J., Breteler, M.M.B., Hasan, D. et al. Vascular risk factors, atherosclerosis, cerebral white matter lesions and cerebral perfusion in a population-based study. Eur J Nucl Med 23, 675–682 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00834530

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00834530

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