title: Familial hypercholesterolemia patients treated with statins at no increased risk for intracranial vascular lesions despite increased cholesterol burden and extracranial atherosclerosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To correlate known vascular disease risk factors and the signs of extracranial and intracranial changes of vascular origin in young patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (FH).
  
  
  METHODS
  39 DNA test-verified heterozygous FH North Karelian patients (FH-NK), aged 6 to 48, 28 of them treated with statins, and 25 healthy controls underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and carotid ultrasound.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Common carotid intima-media thickness was significantly greater in the patients (P=0.005). MR angiography showed no pathological changes, other than 1 incidental aneurysm. The number and size of white matter hyperintensities on T2-weighted MR images, considered as markers of microvascular alterations, did not differ between patients and controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  FH-NK patients treated with statins seem to be at no increased risk for brain infarcts or other brain lesions of vascular origin when younger than age 50.
authors.affiliation: Medical Imaging Center, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland. sami.soljanlahti@hus.fi
authors.forename: Sami
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Soljanlahti
authors.forename: Taina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Autti
authors.forename: Kirsi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lauerma
authors.forename: Raili
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Raininko
authors.forename: Pekka
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Keto
authors.forename: Hannu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Turtola
authors.forename: Alpo F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Vuorio
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000473:pathology; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000150:complications*; D001794:Blood Pressure; D020520:Brain Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D002648:Child; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000378:metabolism*; D006579:Heterozygote; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000473:pathology; D006938:Hyperlipoproteinemia Type II / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D012306:Risk; D012307:Risk Factors; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000473:pathology; D017540:Tunica Media / Q000473:pathology; D014463:Ultrasonography
chemical_list: D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D002784:Cholesterol