Progression of magnetic resonance imaging-defined brain vascular disease predicts vascular events in elderly: the Cardiovascular Health Study.

ABSTRACT:

Background and purpose

To determine whether progression of MRI-defined vascular disease predicts subsequent vascular events in the elderly.

Methods

The Cardiovascular Health Study, a longitudinal cohort study of vascular disease in the elderly, allows us to address this question because its participants had 2 MRI scans≈5 years apart and have been followed for ≈9 years since the follow-up scan for incident vascular events.

Results

Both MRI-defined incident infarcts and worsened white matter grade were significantly associated with heart failure, stroke, and death, but not transient ischemic attacks, angina, or myocardial infarction. Strongest associations occurred when both incident infarcts and worsened white matter grade were present for heart failure (hazard ratio,

SUBMITTER: Longstreth WT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3183167 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature