Loss of Brain White Matter Increases Stroke Risk

During an average follow-up of 6.1 years, 18% of the 596 patients initially free of leukoaraiosis developed some loss of white matter and 3% had widespread loss. The average age of patients who developed leukoaraiosis was 66.8 years.

The group of patients who developed leukoaraiosis showed a higher tendency to experience at least one stroke: 36% versus 23.5% for the group without leukoaraiosis. After taking gender, age, smoking history, and diseases such as hypertension and diabetes mellitus into consideration, results showed that the patients who developed leukoaraiosis were 1.5 times more likely to have a stroke. The findings were published July 17, 2003, in the online edition of Stroke.

"Patients who developed leukoaraiosis were more likely to have multiple strokes, which generally lead to increased disability, both physically and mentally,” said first author Dr. Jonathan Y. Streifler, director of the neurology unit at the Rabin Medical Center (Petach Tikva, Israel). "These small strokes can be devastating when they hit strategic connections.”