FOCAL HYPERINTENSITIES IN CEREBRAL WHITE-MATTER ON MR-IMAGES OF ASYMPTOMATIC VOLUNTEERS - CORRELATION WITH SOCIAL AND MEDICAL HISTORIES

OBJECTIVE. Previous attempts to explain the presence of focal hyperint ensities in the cerebral white matter on MR images have focused on the patient's age and cardiovascular risk factors. The purpose of this st udy was to survey many variables in subjects' social, medical, and sur gical histories to identity those factors associated with focal hyperi ntensities in asymptomatic persons. SUBJECTS AND METHODS. Asymptomatic volunteers were examined with MR imaging of the head and questioned c oncerning smoking history; chemical dependence; alcohol consumption; m edical history (e.g., high blood pressure, kidney disease); surgical h istory (e.g., for appendix, gallbladder); medications (e.g., anti-hype rtensives, analgesics); and other historical family and social variabl es. Vital signs were recorded. Focal hyperintensities were counted by observers who were not provided any information about the subjects oth er than that they were either volunteers or patients. Each of the vari ables in the history was tested for an association with the number of focal hyperintensities seen on MR images. RESULTS. A statistically sig nificant positive association was found between both age and the use o f antihypertensive medications and the number of focal hyperintensitie s. Associations were also found between the number of focal hyperinten sities and diastolic and systolic blood pressures at the time of MR im aging, but these associations did not reach statistical significance. No other variables in the medical, surgical, or social histories were found to be significantly related to the number of focal hyperintensit ies. CONCLUSION. Age and the use of antihypertensive medications were the only significant risk factors identified in respect to focal hyper intensities of the cerebral white matter.