Characteristics of vascular risk factor and the presence of ventriculomegaly among patients with white matter changes in Bangli General Hospital, Bali, Indonesia

Abstract

Background: White matter changes (WMC) is a common yet often incidental and neglected finding among older people in head CT or MRI examinations. This finding rarely becomes the main examination focus, although much research has proven its correlation with elderly disabilities, such as cognitive, executive, and motor function impairment. This lesion form is not fully understood, but chronic ischemic conditions may contribute due to a vascular risk factor (VRF) and ependymal cell impairment at the ventricular wall due to dilatation. Methods: This research aimed to explore the characteristics of VRF (history of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia) and the presence of ventriculomegaly among patients with WMC finding on head CT examination. This research was conducted with a descriptive retrospective method using a data registry at Bangli General Hospital, Bali, Indonesia, in 2022. Result: From 97 patients with WMC findings, most were aged >60 (77.30%). Ventriculomegaly was found in 33.00% of them. Almost all had a history of hypertension (92.80%), and a history of dyslipidemia was found in 61.9%. Of all VRF components, diabetes mellitus was the least frequently found in patients (19.60%). The majority of WMC lesions involved the periventricular structure. Conclusion: WMC finding was more frequent among patients aged >60, with a history of hypertension being the most frequent compared to other components of VRF. Ventriculomegaly was found in one-third of them.