title: [The influences of silent cerebral infarction and hypertension on brain atrophy in normal adults].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We studied the influences of silent brain infarction (SBI) and hypertension on brain atrophy and its longitudinal progression in healthy adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  MRI scans were performed on 109 neurologically normal adults (mean age, 58.6+/-5.8 years), with follow-up at an average of 4.9 years later. Patient histories of hypertension, smoking habits, and alcohol consumption were examined. We evaluated brain atrophy using the brain atrophy index (BAI; the ratio of the brain area to the intracranial area) and the ventricular atrophy index (VAI; the ratio of the ventricular area to the brain area) on MRI T1-weighted images at the levels of the basal ganglia and lateral ventricle in horizontal sections.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no differences in age, sex, dyslipidemia, BMI, smoking habit, and alcohol consumption between the normal group and the SBI or hypertension group. The BAI was significantly lower at entry for the SBI (+) group than for the SBI (-) group at both the basal ganglia and lateral ventricle levels (basal ganglia level, p=0.02; and lateral ventricle level, p=0.05). Moreover, the VAI was significantly higher at entry for the SBI (+) group than for the SBI (-) group at the lateral ventricle level (p=0.03). Furthermore, the BAI was significantly lower at entry for the hypertensive group than for the non-hypertensive group at the basal ganglia level (p=0.007). There were no significant differences in the annual variations of the BAI and VAI between the normal group and the SBI (+) or hypertensive group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present results suggest that the SBI and hypertension are accelerating factors for brain atrophy and ventricular dilatation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine III, Faculty of Medicine, Shimane University.
authors.forename: Quan
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhefeng
authors.forename: Hirokazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bokura
authors.forename: Kenichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Iijima
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Oguro
authors.forename: Shuhei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
mesh_terms: D001284:Atrophy; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged