The risk factors for leukoaraiosis in patients with cerebral infarction

The objective of this study was to investigate the risk factors for leukoaraiosis or white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) in patients with cerebral infarction and the relevance of lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) levels to leukoaraiosis. Two hundred and sixty seven patients with cerebral infarction were categorized into two groups of patients with leukoaraiosis (121 cases) and those with no leukoaraiosis (146 cases). The clinical and laboratory variables including Lp-PLA2 levels were compared in both the groups. The morbidity associated with leukoaraiosis was 45.3% in the 267 cases of cerebral infarction. One-way analysis revealed significant differences between the leukoaraiosis and non-leukoaraiosis patient groups in terms of age, Lp-PLA2 level, and history of hypertension and lacunar infarction (LACI). Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to compare the contribution of Lp-PLA2, age, and LACI between the two groups. We did not observe a statistically significant difference between the leukoaraiosis group and the non-leukoaraiosis group in terms of sex, diabetes mellitus history, hyperlipemia, smoking, drinking, coronary disease, and cerebrovascular stenosis rate. The levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), and fasting blood sugar had no significant differences between the two groups of hyperlipoproteinemia (HLP) patients. Further analysis of cerebrovascular stenosis categorized into simple anterior circulation, simple posterior circulation, or multicirculation infarctions, did not show any statistically significant differences. Age, Lp-PLA2, and LACI were found to be independent risk factors for leukoaraiosis in cerebral infarction patients. Hypertension was the significant risk factor for leukoaraiosis whereas stenosis in the extracranial and intracranial arteries had no definite relationship with leukoaraiosis. Furthermore, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, smoking and drinking history, and CHD were the common risk factors for leukoaraiosis and stroke.