title: Association between serum total bilirubin level and leukoaraiosis in Korean adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Leukoaraiosis is associated with cerebrovascular microangiopathy. Increasing evidence suggests that bilirubin is a potent cytoprotectant in the development of cardiovascular diseases. This study aimed to determine whether total bilirubin is related to leukoaraiosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined the relationship of total bilirubin with leukoaraiosis in 1005 Korean adults. The odds ratios for leukoaraiosis were calculated using multivariate logistic regression across serum total bilirubin tertiles.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In comparison with the subjects in the reference group (total bilirubin: 15-26 μmol/L), the odds ratio (95% CI) for leukoaraiosis in the 3rd tertile (total bilirubin ≤10 μmol/L) was 5.50 (1.24-24.40) in women after adjusting for confounding variables. However, this inverse association between serum total bilirubin and the prevalence of leukoaraiosis was not found in men after adjusting for the same co-variables.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Total bilirubin level was inversely associated with leukoaraiosis regardless of classical cardiovascular risk factors in Korean women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Byoung-Jin
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Jae-Yong
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Shim
authors.forename: Hye-Ree
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Hee-Taik
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Jung-Hyun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Yong-Jae
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D001663:Bilirubin / Q000097:blood*; D002533:Cerebral Angiography; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006786:Hospitals, Urban; D006801:Humans; D049292:Leukoaraiosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012727:Sex Characteristics
chemical_list: D001663:Bilirubin