Early Onset, High Comorbidity Burden, and Regional Disparities of CADASIL: A Nationwide Cohort Study in South Korea

To compare the epidemiological and clinical features of the rare patients with cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) with age- and sex-matched controls in a nationwide cohort from South Korea.

This observational cohort study analyzed newly diagnosed CADASIL patients aged at least 20 years and matched controls using data from the National Health Information Database for 2004-2022. The cumulative incidence of CADASIL was assessed by age and sex, and compared between regions. Neurologic and systemic diseases were compared between the CADASIL and control groups.

The study analyzed 816 CADASIL patients and 816 age- and sex-matched controls aged 56.8±15.2 years (mean±standard deviation), among whom 48.3% were male. The cumulative incidence of CADASIL was 1.86 per 100,000 people (95% confidence interval [CI]=1.85-1.87 per 100,000), and peaked at 60-69 years of age. In terms of regional distribution, the incidence was highest for Jeju, at 39.67 per 100,000 (95% CI 37.84-41.49 per 100,000). Neurologic diseases were more frequent in CADASIL patients, including Alzheimer's disease (33.1% vs. 20.0%), vascular dementia (84.9% vs. 5.0%), epilepsy (34.6% vs. 15.9%), stroke (70.7% vs. 27.6%), parkinsonism (18.9% vs. 11.0%), and depression (60.8% vs. 44.9%). Systemic diseases such as diabetes mellitus (78.9% vs. 68.9%) were also more common in CADASIL patients, while cancer (27.9% vs. 38.7%) and myocardial infarction (10.0% vs. 13.6%) were less common than in controls. The onset ages of all diseases were lower in CADASIL patients.

This study has provided a precise nationwide estimate of the CADASIL incidence and its regional distribution in South Korea. CADASIL patients showed higher incidence rates and earlier onsets of diverse clinical manifestations.