Are serum cholesterol levels associated with silent brain infarcts? The Seiryo Clinic Study.
OBJECTIVE
High levels of serum cholesterol are associated with the risk of stroke. However, the association of serum cholesterol with silent brain infarcts (SBIs) is unclear. We investigated the association between SBI and various clinical factors.


METHODS
We conducted a cross-sectional study that included 324 apparently healthy Japanese men (mean age 53.8+/-9.2 years). Combinations of three types of scan (T1-weighted, T2-weighted and FLAIR images) were used to detect and discriminate SBI.


RESULTS
Serum cholesterol was significantly associated with SBI [total cholesterol, odds ratio (OR) 3.75 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.45-9.68); LDL-cholesterol, OR 2.54 (95% CI 1.03-6.27), and non-HDL-cholesterol, OR 2.54 (95% CI 1.03-6.27)] after adjustment for age, smoking status, serum triglycerides, maximal-intima-media thickness, obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperuricemia, coronary heart disease and lipid-lowering agent use.


CONCLUSIONS
Our cross-sectional data suggest that serum cholesterol levels are associated with SBI independently of known confounders.
Department of Radiology, Diagnostic Imaging Center, Sendai Seiryo Clinic, Sendai, Japan.
Mihoko
M
Asumi
Tatsuo
T
Yamaguchi
Kazumi
K
Saito
Satoru
S
Kodama
Hidemitsu
H
Miyazawa
Hiroshige
H
Matsui
Emiko
E
Suzuki
Hiroshi
H
Fukuda
Hirohito
H
Sone
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015992:Body Mass Index; D020520:Brain Infarction / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012306:Risk
D002784:Cholesterol