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Cerebral microbleeds and depression in lacunar stroke
1Department of Psychiatry, Shatin Hospital, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong SAR, China. tangwk@cuhk.edu.hk
Stroke
|July 16, 2011
Summary
Lobar cerebral microbleeds (CMB) are linked to increased risk of poststroke depression (PSD). This finding suggests CMB may contribute to depression in stroke survivors and the elderly.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Geriatrics
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Cerebral microbleeds (CMB) are prevalent in stroke survivors and the elderly.
- The role of CMB in poststroke depression (PSD) development is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between CMB and PSD in acute lacunar stroke patients.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 235 acute lacunar stroke patients was studied.
- Poststroke depression (PSD) was assessed using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) at 3 months.
- Cerebral microbleeds (CMB) were detected and located using MRI.
Main Results:
- Patients with PSD were more likely to have lobar CMB compared to those without PSD (33.3% vs. 19.9%, P=0.022).
- Lobar CMB independently predicted PSD, with an odds ratio of 2.08 (P=0.032) in multivariate analysis.
Conclusions:
- Lobar CMB may contribute to the development of poststroke depression (PSD).
- Further research is needed to clarify the role of CMB in depression pathogenesis among stroke survivors and the elderly.
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