Brain volumes and risk of cardiovascular events and mortality. The SMART-MR study

Pieternella H. van der Veen, Majon Muller, Koen L. Vincken, Willem P. T. M. Mali, Yolanda van der Graaf, Mirjam I. Geerlings, A. Algra, P. A. Doevendans, Y. van der Graaf, D. E. Grobbee, G. E. H. M. Rutten, L. J. Kappelle, W. P. T. M. Mali, F. L. Moll, F. L. J. Visseren

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Abstract

Brain atrophy is a strong predictor for cognitive decline and dementia, and these are, in turn, associated with increased mortality in the general population. Patients with cardiovascular disease have more brain atrophy and a higher morbidity and mortality. We investigated if brain volumes on magnetic resonance imaging were associated with the risk of cardiovascular events and mortality in patients with manifest arterial disease (n= 1215; mean age 58years). Automated brain segmentation was used to quantify intracranial volume, and volumes of total brain, sulcal cerebrospinal fluid, and ventricles. After a median follow-up of 8.3years, 184 patients died, 49 patients had an ischemic stroke, and 100 patients had an ischemic cardiac complication. Smaller relative brain volumes increased the risk of all-cause death (hazard ratio [HR] per standard deviation decrease in total brain volume: 1.58, 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.33-1.88), vascular death (HR 1.69, 95% CI: 1.35-2.13), and ischemic stroke (HR 1.96, 95% CI: 1.43-2.69), independent of cardiovascular risk factors. These results suggest that brain volumes are an important determinant of poor outcome in patients with high cardiovascular risk. © 2014 Elsevier Inc.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1624-1631
JournalNeurobiology of aging
Volume35
Issue number7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2014

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