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Comparative Study
. 2010 Mar;41(3):437-42.
doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.109.563502. Epub 2010 Feb 4.

Hyperlipidemia and reduced white matter hyperintensity volume in patients with ischemic stroke

Jordi Jimenez-Conde  1 , Alessandro Biffi, Rosanna Rahman, Allison Kanakis, Christi Butler, Shruti Sonni, Efi Massasa, Lisa Cloonan, Aaron Gilson, Karen Capozzo, Lynelle Cortellini, Angel Ois, Elisa Cuadrado-Godia, Ana Rodriguez-Campello, Karen L Furie, Jaume Roquer, Jonathan Rosand, Natalia S Rost
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Hyperlipidemia and reduced white matter hyperintensity volume in patients with ischemic stroke

Jordi Jimenez-Conde et al. Stroke. 2010 Mar.

Erratum in

Abstract

Background and purpose: White matter hyperintensity (WMH), or leukoaraiosis, is a radiologic finding generally assumed to reflect diseased small cerebral vasculature. WMH has significant functional impact through its relation to cognitive decline and risk of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. Accumulating evidence suggests that some manifestations of small-vessel disease such as intracerebral hemorrhage are associated with low levels of cholesterol. We sought to determine the relation between hyperlipidemia and WMH severity in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS).

Methods: We analyzed 2 independent, hospital-based AIS cohorts. Demographic and clinical data were collected prospectively. WMH was measured using semiautomated volumetric image analysis and a semiquantitative visual grading scale. Univariate and multivariable regression analyses were used to assess the relation between WMH severity and study variables.

Results: A total of 631 and 504 subjects in the first and second cohorts, respectively, were included. In univariate analyses, advancing age and hypertension were associated with severity of WMH (P<0.001) in both cohorts. In the multivariable analysis, after controlling for age, sex, and significant risk factors in the univariate and age-adjusted analyses, patients with a history of hyperlipidemia had less severe WMH in both cohorts (P<0.01).

Conclusions: Results from 2 independent cohorts demonstrate that AIS patients with a history of hyperlipidemia have less severe WMH at the time of stroke. These data support the hypothesis that hyperlipidemia may play a relatively protective role in cerebral small-vessel disease.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts on Interest Disclosures:

The authors have reported no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Distribution of WMH: A: white matter hyperintensity volume (WMHV) in MGH cohort; B: natural logarithm of white matter hyperintensity volume (Log_WMHV) in the MGH cohort ; C: Semi-quantitative scale-based measurement of leukoaraiosis in the HM cohort.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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