Significant association of metabolic syndrome with silent brain infarction in elderly people.
A silent brain infarction (SBI) can predict clinical overt stroke or dementia. Studies focusing on the elderly population, where SBI is most common, are sparse. We examined the associations between SBI and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in healthy elderly individuals. Neurologically healthy subjects (1,254 persons, 723 males) aged > or =65 years who underwent brain MRI were evaluated. MetS was diagnosed following the AHA/NHLBI-2005 criteria. We examined associations between full syndrome (at least three of the five conditions) as well as its components and SBI while controlling for possible confounders. One hundred and ninety-seven subjects (15.7%) were found to have one or more SBIs on MRI. Age (1-year difference) was found to be significantly related to SBI prevalence (OR 1.09; 95% CI 1.05-1.12). MetS was significantly associated with SBI (OR 1.68; 95% CI 1.15-2.44). The component model of MetS showed a strong significance between elevated blood pressure (OR 1.89; 95% CI 1.23-2.91) and SBI. Subjects exhibiting more components of MetS showed more prevalent SBI and multiple SBIs. MetS was found to be significantly associated with SBI in neurologically healthy elderly people. The positive trend between the number of MetS components and SBI could be used as a diagnostic tool to predict and prevent future stroke.
Kwon
Hyung-Min
HM
Department of Neurology, Seoul National University Boramae Hospital, Seoul, South Korea. hmk1125@hanmail.net
Kim
Beom Joon
BJ
Park
Jin-Ho
JH
Ryu
Wi-Sun
WS
Kim
Chi-Kyung
CK
Lee
Su-Ho
SH
Ko
Sang-Bae
SB
Nam
Hyunwoo
H
Lee
Seung-Hoon
SH
Lee
Yong-Seok
YS
Yoon
Byung-Woo
BW
D000367:Age Factors; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D020520:Brain Infarction / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000150:complications*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index