Low levels of plasma omega 3-polyunsaturated fatty acids are associated with cerebral small vessel diseases in acute ischemic stroke patients.
Cerebral small vessel diseases (SVDs) are related to stroke or cognitive dysfunction. n-3-polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) represent possible disease-modifying factors for cardiovascular disease or dementia. Our hypothesis was that a low proportion of plasma FAs would be associated with cerebral SVDs. We prospectively enrolled 220 patients with a first-episode cerebral infarction within 7 days after symptom onset. The composition of plasma FAs was analyzed by gas chromatography methods. The presence and burden of cerebral microbleeds (CMBs), high-grade white matter changes (HWCs), high-grade perivascular spaces (HPVSs), and asymptomatic lacunar infarctions (ALIs) were investigated. The mean proportion (± SD) was 2.0 ± 0.7 for EPA, 8.9 ± 1.5 for DHA, and 12.0 ± 2.1 for ∑ n-3-PUFAs. In total, 46 (20.9%) patients had CMBs, 64 (29.1 %) had HWCs, 57 (25.9%) had HPVSs, and 65 (29.5%) had ALIs. In univariate analyses, CMBs, HWCs, and HPVSs were each negatively correlated with the proportion of EPA, DHA, and ∑ n-3-PUFAs. In the multivariate analysis, a lower proportion of EPA, DHA and ∑ n-3-PUFAs was associated with the presence of CMBs, HWCs and HPVS, but not ALIs. Total SVDs score was inversely correlated with the proportion of EPA, DHA and ∑ n-3-PUFAs. Overall, we found an association between low proportions of plasma n-3-PUFAs and cerebral SVDs pathologies. Further studies are needed to explore the association and potential therapeutic role of FAs in cerebral SVDs.
Department of Neurology, Ewha Womans University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea; Department of Neurology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Tae-Jin
TJ
Song
Department of Neurology, Ewha Womans University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Yoonkyung
Y
Chang
Department of Food and Nutrition and Institute of Health Sciences, Korea University, Seoul, Korea.
Min-Jeong
MJ
Shin
Department of Neurology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Ji Hoe
JH
Heo
Department of Neurology, Ewha Womans University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. Electronic address: brain930@ewha.ac.kr.
Yong-Jae
YJ
Kim
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D058070:Asymptomatic Diseases; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D059345:Cerebral Small Vessel Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015536:Down-Regulation; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D055806:Microvessels / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D059409:Stroke, Lacunar / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D066127:White Matter / Q000098:blood supply / Q000473:pathology
D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3
Cerebral microbleeds; Fatty acids composition; Perivascular spaces; Small vessel disease; White matter changes; n-3-polyunsaturated fatty acids