Correlation of total magnetic resonance imaging burden with homocysteine in patients with cerebral small vessel disease

Abstract

Objective To explore the relationship between total MRI burden and serum homocysteine (Hcy) in patients with cerebral small vessel disease(CSVD), and to provide clues for disease prevention and treatment. Methods A total of 370 inpatients with CSVD from the neurology department of hospital were consecutively enrolled from September 2016 to December 2018.The clinical data, including serum homocysteine(Hcy) levels were collected.Brain MRI data were collected, including the severity of white matter hyperintensities(WMH), lacune infarcts(LI), cerebral microbleeds(CMBs), and enlarged perivascular spaces(ePVS) to evaluate the total load of CSVD.SPSS21.0 was applied to analyze the association between total CSVD burden and Hcy. Results (1)Compared with the patients with lower Hcy levels, the higher Hcy group had heavier total burdens of CSVD(P<0.01). (2)According to the total MRI burden scores of CSVD, all patients were further divided into low burden group(106 cases) and moderate-high burden group(264 cases). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that Hcy(OR=1.026, 95%CI: 1.003-1.049, P=0.026) was risk factor for increasing CSVD burden and hyperhomocysteinemia was a stronger predictor for total MRI burdens of CSVD(OR=3.202, 95%CI: 1.947-5.268, P<0.001). Conclusion Serum Hcy can be an independent risk factor for the total MRI burdens of CSVD.This finding provides a promising clue for the prediction and clinical management of CSVD. Key words: Cerebral small vessel disease; Risk factor; Magnetic resonance imaging; Homocysteine