02200nas a2200241 4500008004100000022001400041245017900055210006900234260000900303300000900312490000700321520142200328653000901750653001001759653001901769653002401788653003001812653001101842653003101853653001801884100002001902856003601922 1998 eng d a0303-699500aBrain abnormalities in the elderly: frequency and predictors in the United States (the Cardiovascular Health Study). Cardiovascular Health Study Collaborative Research Group.0 aBrain abnormalities in the elderly frequency and predictors in t c1998 a9-160 v533 a

PURPOSE: Characterize brain abnormalities in elderly people using cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

METHODS: Comprehensive lists of people 65 years and older living in the United States of America were used to obtain a representative sample of 5,888 community-dwelling participants who underwent extensive standardized evaluations. A subset of 3,660 underwent MRI. Without clinical information, neuroradiologists evaluated each scan.

RESULTS: Enlarged ventricles and sulci and prominent white matter changes were relatively common, even in a subset of the healthiest participants. Infarcts 3 mm or greater were present in 31% of all participants and 28% of those without a history of stroke. Most infarcts were clinically silent, small, and in the basal ganglia. Among those without a history of stroke, white matter changes were common but mostly of a mild degree. These changes were independently related to greater age, silent stroke, higher systolic blood pressure, lower forced expiratory volume in one second and income less than $50,000 per year. Changes were also associated with dysfunction, especially of cognition and the lower extremities.

CONCLUSION: MRI abnormalities are common in elderly people. Cautious interpretation is appropriate because participants are healthier than the general population and the study's design is cross-sectional.

10aAged10aBrain10aBrain Diseases10aCerebral Infarction10aCerebrovascular Disorders10aHumans10aMagnetic Resonance Imaging10aUnited States1 aLongstreth, W T uhttps://chs-nhlbi.org/node/1509