Table 1.
Risk Factor Associations for Leukoaraiosis, Assessed by ARWMC Score (ARWMC = Age Related White Matter Changes). Patient cohort divided into approximate quartiles
| Total (N=671) | Q1 (n=256) | Q2 (n=184) | Q3 (n=100) | Q4 (n=131) | P‐het | P Trend | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean (SD) age, y* | 71.1 (11.5) | 65.0 (11.7) | 73.6 (10.4) | 75.0 (8.5) | 76.8 (8.7) | <0.0001 | <0.0001 |
| Male sex* | 374 (55.7) | 156 (60.9) | 110 (59.8) | 50 (50.0) | 58 (44.3) | 0.006 | 0.001 |
| Hypertension* | 397 (59.3) | 130 (51.0) | 118 (64.1) | 63 (63.6) | 86 (66.2) | 0.007 | 0.003 |
| Diabetes mellitus* | 103 (15.4) | 43 (16.8) | 25 (13.6) | 15 (15.0) | 20 (15.3) | 0.83 | 0.69 |
| High cholesterol* | 217 (32.9) | 88 (34.9) | 53 (29.0) | 32 (32.3) | 44 (34.9) | 0.57 | 0.97 |
| Ischemic heart disease* | 124 (18.7) | 47 (18.6) | 38 (20.8) | 18 (18.2) | 21 (16.3) | 0.79 | 0.57 |
| Peripheral vascular disease* | 31 (4.8) | 7 (2.8) | 9 (5.0) | 8 (8.2) | 7 (5.6) | 0.18 | 0.09 |
| Smoking (current or ex)* | 406 (61.0) | 146 (57.5) | 115 (62.5) | 63 (63.0) | 82 (64.1) | 0.54 | 0.19 |
| Previous TIA* | 73 (11.1) | 29 (11.6) | 22 (12.1) | 9 (9.1) | 13 (10.2) | 0.87 | 0.56 |
| Previous stroke* | 70 (10.5) | 22 (8.7) | 16 (8.7) | 11 (11.0) | 21 (16.3) | 0.11 | 0.03 |
| Current diagnosis of stroke* | 370 (55.1) | 126 (49.2) | 105 (57.1) | 55 (55.0) | 84 (64.1) | 0.04 | 0.008 |
| Acute infarct on DWI* | 344 (51.3) | 85 (33.2) | 114 (62.0) | 60 (60.0) | 85 (64.9) | <0.0001 | <0.0001 |
| Chronic infarct on T2* | 428 (63.8) | 118 (46.1) | 73 (76.0) | 115 (71.9) | 122 (76.7) | <0.0001 | <0.0001 |
| Any lacunar infarction* | 103 (15.4) | 14 (5.5) | 36 (19.6) | 20 (20.0) | 33 (25.2) | <0.0001 | <0.0001 |
| Any carotid stenosis ≥50% (N=586)* | 66 (14.3) | 27 (14.8) | 20 (16.5) | 11 (14.9) | 8 (9.5) | 0.55 | 0.32 |
First quartile: ARWMC (Age Related White Matter Changes) score=0; [Q2]: scores=1 to 4; [Q3]: scores 5 to 7; [Q4]: score ≥8. P‐het indicates P for heterogeneity; P trend, P for trend; DWI, diffusion‐weighted sequence; TIA, transient ischemic attack.
Values in bold italics indicate risk factor associations significant at the P<0.05 level.
*
ANOVA for continuous variables.
*
The χ2 test for categorical variables.