Characteristics of Moyamoya Disease Based on National Registry Data in Japan

Background and Purpose- A public registration system for intractable diseases was started in Japan in 1972 to investigate the etiology and pathogenesis of intractable diseases while reducing out-of-pocket medical expenses on patients. The goal of this study was to investigate the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of Moyamoya disease using data from applications submitted to this system between 2004 and 2008. Methods- In addition to demographic factors such as onset age and family history, we evaluated clinical presentation type, imaging findings, clinical symptoms, and functioning in activities of daily living (ADL). Results- Of 3859 cases for which applications were submitted, 2545 were confirmed to meet the diagnostic criteria after data cleansing. Onset age showed a bimodal distribution, and Moyamoya disease had a higher incidence in women than in men. The presence of occlusion and infarction in the proximal region of the anterior cerebral artery was more frequent in pediatric cases than adult cases. Our findings also indicated that 23% of patients required assistance with ADL. Cerebral infarction (odds ratio [OR], 12.5; 95% CI, 3.55-44.66), seizure (OR, 7.44; 95% CI, 1.29-42.96), and sensory disorders (OR, 5.23; 95% CI, 1.15-23.75) were identified as significant predictors of impaired ADL in pediatric cases 3 years after the initial application. Moderate ADL function (OR, 11.59; 95% CI, 5.29-25.39) and intellectual disabilities (OR, 4.38; 95% CI, 1.58-12.17) at the time of the application were identified as significant prognostic factors in adults. Conclusions- The results of this study indicated that characteristics of Moyamoya disease such as onset type, symptoms, and imaging abnormalities differ with onset age. Prognostic analyses suggested that pediatric cases with good ADL but with infarct type onset, seizure, or sensory disorders might have a subsequent decline in ADL.