Association Between Cerebral Small Vessel Disease and Risk of Recurrent ICH Among U.S. Minority Survivors
by Priyanka Senthil
Category: STEM
Abstract – Compared to White survivors of Intracerebral Hemorrhage (ICH), Black/Hispanic individuals are three times more likely to experience ICH recurrence. Cerebral Small Vessel Disease (CSVD) has long been considered a risk factor for ICH. Our study sought to clarify whether differences in CSVD subtype or severity among minority and White individuals could explain this disparity. We collected data of ICH survivors from the MGH-ICH and ERICH studies. MRI scans were analyzed for CSVD markers as classified by cerebral microbleeds (CMBs). CSVD was identified as either Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy (CAA) subtype or Arteriolo-Sclerosis (AS) subtype. We analyzed data from the total 2192. When compared to Whites, a higher percentage of minority individuals had markers of CSVD on MRI scans (54% vs. 41%, p<0.001). There was a greater count (higher burden) of AS-associated CMBs in minorities (median: 1, IQR 1-2 vs. median 0, IQR 0-1, p=0.016). Minority ICH survivors are not only more likely to present with CSVD at the time of stroke, but they also have a higher burden of specifically AS-associated CMBs.