Cardiovascular risk factors and blood pressure in a primary care unit: Yugoslav Study of the Precursors of Atherosclerosis in School Children (YUSAD)

OBJECTIVES: The presence of cardiovascular risk factors in children may be important in the development of atherosclerosis in adulthood. Adequate control of blood pressure is a cornerstone in atherosclerosis prevention. The aim of the Yugoslav Study of the Precursors of Atherosclerosis in School Children (YUSAD) was to identify risk factors for elevated blood pressure in school children. METHODS: The YUSAD study is a multicentre follow-up study comprised of two cross-sectional surveys conducted five years apart. At baseline, 10-year-old children (3226 boys and 3074 girls [n=6300]) were randomly selected during periodical visits to primary health care centres. The risk factors measured were heart rate, weight, body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio, grade point average and current smoking status. RESULTS: Significant age and sex differences were identified in systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and all investigated independent variables. In a multivariate analysis, diastolic blood pressure in 10-year-old boys was directly and significantly related to total cholesterol and height, whereas it was inversely related to weight. At follow-up, in the multivariate model, only BMI was a significant predictor of diastolic blood pressure in boys. In girls at baseline in the multivariate regression analysis, the only significant predictor of diastolic blood pressure was total cholesterol. In 15-year-old girls, diastolic blood pressure was significantly and directly related to BMI and heart rate, whereas it was inversely related to weight. For both 10- and 15-year-old male and female participants, none of the variables by multivariate analysis were a significant predictor of systolic blood pressure. CONCLUSIONS: Age, sex, heart rate, cholesterol and weight are the most important predictors of blood pressure in school children.     

Medication overuse headache: clinical features predicting treatment outcome at 1-year follow-up

We present a prospective study of 240 patients with medication overuse headache (MOH) treated with drug withdrawal and prophylactic medications. At 1-year follow-up, 137 (57.1%) patients were without chronic headache and without medication overuse, eight (3.3%) patients did not improve after withdrawal and 95 (39.6%) relapsed developing recurrent overuse. Age at time of MOH diagnosis, regular use of benzodiazepines, frequency and Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) score of chronic headache, age at onset of primary headache, frequency and MIDAS score of primary headache, ergotamine compound overuse and daily drug intake were significantly different between successfully and unsuccessfully treated patients. Multivariate analysis determined the frequency of primary headache disorder, ergotamine overuse and disability of chronic headache estimated by MIDAS as independent predictors of treatment efficacy at 1-year follow-up.     

What are the differences between younger and older patients with symptomatic small vessel disease?

Objective

Although typically linked to aging, small vessel disease (SVD) is also observed in younger adult patients, with common vascular risk factors (RF). We aimed to investigate features of SVD occurrence at an early adult age.

Patients and methods

Vascular RF, functional and cognitive status and severity of lesions on MRI expressed as total score on Age-Related White Matter Changes (ARWMC) scale were analyzed in 200 consecutive patients with cerebral SVD admitted to a tertiary neurological hospital. Variables were compared between younger (35–55 years) and older (>56 years) patients.

Results

In this study, 63 (31.5%) of patients were 55 years or younger. Both age groups had comparable RF profiles, but smoking emerged as an independent predictor for SVD at a younger age (OR 2.9; 95% CI 1.5–5.5; p = 0.002). Younger patients had better functional (OR 1.8; 95% CI 1.3–2.5; p = 0.0001) and cognitive (χ² 13.94; p = 0.0009) status compared to older patients. However, two thirds of younger patients had some degree of cognitive deficit. Total score on ARWMC scale was lower in younger patients (mean 12.3 in younger versus 15.2 in older, OR 1.11; 95% CI 1.0–1.18; p = 0.001). There was a strong correlation in both groups between functional score, cognitive status and ARWMC score (p < 0.0001).

Conclusion

In our dataset, younger patients with SVD shared common vascular RF with older patients. In the group aged ≤55, better functional and cognitive status and less severe MRI changes were noted. However, a substantial number of younger SVD patients presenting with TIA or ischemic stroke had various deficits.     

Cerebral small vessel disease in pseudoxanthoma elasticum: three cases

BACKGROUND: Cerebral small vessel disease is rarely described in association with pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE), a hereditary connective tissue disorder with skin, eye and vascular manifestations. This autosomally inherited elastic tissue disease has been attributed to mutations in the ABCC6 gene located on chromosome 16p13.1. Different stroke mechanisms are suggested in PXE patients, arterial hypertension and accelerated atherosclerosis being the leading ones. CASE DESCRIPTIONS: Case 1: A 49-year-old man with history of mild hypertension presented with recurrent transient ischemic attacks. At the age of 42, evaluation for progressive visual loss and skin changes led to diagnosis of PXE. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) disclosed multiple lacunar infarctions and confluent periventricular white matter lesions (WML). Case 2: A 71-year-old woman with history of mild hypertension suffered right-sided stroke. Diagnosis of PXE was made at the age of 48 due to severe visual loss and skin changes. Brain MRI revealed multiple lacunar infarctions and subcortical ischemic leukoencephalopathy. Case 3: A 47-year-old woman with prominent skin changes and bilateral amblyopia developed right-sided weakness. Skin biopsy confirmed PXE. Several lacunar infarcts in deep white matter and pons were revealed on MRI. DISCUSSION: We present three patients with clinical and histopathological features of PXE who presented with multiple lacunar strokes, two with extensive confluent WML. These cases illustrate that PXE is a rare but significant risk factor for small vessel disease and stroke in patients of all age groups. Occlusive small vessel disease and subsequent lacunar infarcts and WML represent important PXE manifestations.     

Transcranial sonography in patients with Parkinson's disease with glucocerebrosidase mutations

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to search for possible differences in the findings of transcranial sonography (TCS) between groups of patients with glucocerebrosidase (GBA)-associated Parkinson's disease (PD) (4 patients with Gaucher disease type 1 and parkinsonism [GD+PD+] and 18 PD patients with heterozygous GBA mutations; [GBA+PD+]) and groups of 12 patients with Gaucher disease type 1 and no signs of parkinsonism (GD+PD?), 9 asymptomatic carriers of heterozygous GBA mutations (GBA+PD?), 32 sporadic PD patients (sPD), and 43 healthy controls.ResultsIn all groups of patients, except asymptomatic carriers of heterozygous GBA mutations (mean ± SD: 0.16 ± 0.03 cm²), the maximal areas of substantia nigra hyperechogenicity (aSN-max) was higher (GD+PD+: 0.28 ± 0.15 cm²; GD+PD?: 0.18 ± 0.06 cm²; GBA+PD+: 0.27 ± 0.06 cm²; sPD: 0.28 ± 0.10 cm²) when compared to controls (0.12 ± 0.08 cm²) (p = 0.001). In GBA-associated PD (GD+PD+ and GBA+PD+) and sPD, aSNmax values were very similar. Moderate or marked SN hyperechogenicity was present in 87.5% of sPD patients and in 83% of PD patients with heterozygous GBA mutations, but in only 11.6% of controls, and in 22.2% and 33.3% of patients from GBA+PD? and GD+PD? groups, respectively (p < 0.001). The prevalence of interrupted or missing echogenicity of the brainstem raphe differed between the groups (p = 0.046), while no difference was observed in the diameter of the third ventricle.ConclusionsTCS findings in GBA-associated PD were consistent to those of patients with sporadic PD.     

Cognitive syndromes after the first stroke

Aim

The aim of this study is to determine impairments of certain cognitive functions in certain vascular cognitive syndromes and to identify predictors of dementia.

Patients and methods

One-year prospective study included 275 patients, who were hospitalized at the Department of Neurology Tuzla and therefore fulfilled certain criteria. Patients were divided into following subgroups of vascular cognitive impairment (VCI): dementia of strategic infarct (DSI), cortical dementia (CD), sub cortical dementia (SCD), hemorrhagic dementia (HD), and patients without dementia. Each of the patients underwent the clinical examination and scoring with appropriate measurement scales.

Results

Some of the types of VCI were verified in 190 (69%) patients, and the most common was SCD (58%). There was statistically significant connection between the level of intelligence and occurrence of VCI in patients after stroke (p?<?0.001). We found significant connection between occurrence of dementia and impairment in narrative memory, numerical memory, visual perceptive, and visual constructive functions in patients with dementia compared with non-demented (p?=?0.0001). The executive functions were statistically impaired in patients with CD (p?=?0.004) and SCD (p?<?0.001). Patients without dementia have significantly better quality of life than the demented ones (p?<?0.0001). The algorithm “tree of decision” can help us in the prediction of dementia based on the impairment of certain cognitive functions.

Conclusion

Vascular cognitive syndromes are common after stroke. Some of the cognitive functions are significantly impaired in patients with dementia. Impairment of the certain cognitive functions can help in predicting the onset of dementia. Patients without dementia have better quality of life.