Relationship between periventricular or deep white matter lesions and arterial elasticity indices in very old people

To examine the relationship between the presence of cerebral white matter lesions and large and small artery elasticity indices in a population of healthy, very old subjects.

We studied 24 subjects (14 women, 10 men) with a mean age of 84+/-5 years, who were free from overt neurological, cardiovascular or psychiatric illness. We measured blood pressure and heart rate in supine and standing positions. Elasticity indices of the large arteries (C1) and small arteries (C2) were derived from radial artery pulse waves. Each subject had multi-slice spin-echo cerebral magnetic resonance imaging. The severity of white matter lesions was graded as 0, 1 or 2.

Cerebral white matter lesions on magnetic resonance imaging were common in very old apparently healthy subjects: grade 0 (n=4, C1=2.68+/-1.80 ml/mmHg and C2=0.045+/-0.017 ml/mmHg), grade 1 (n=7, C1=2.13+/-0.36 ml/mmHg and C2=0.040+/-0.016 ml/mmHg) and grade 2 (n=13, C1=1.12+/-0.36 ml/mmHg and C2=0.018+/-0.003 ml/mmHg). There was no significant association between elasticity indices and blood pressure.

In very old, apparently healthy subjects, both large and small artery elasticity indices were inversely related to the severity of cerebral white matter lesions on magnetic resonance imaging.