Association of cerebral white matter hyperintensities with coronary artery calcium in a healthy population: a cross-sectional study

Abstract In brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), white matter hyperintensity (WMH) is a commonly encountered finding and is known to reflect cerebral small vessel disease. The aim of our study was to investigate the association of coronary artery calcium (CAC) with WMH and elucidate the relationship between WMH and atherosclerotic risk factors in a large-scale healthy population. This retrospective study included 1337 individuals who underwent brain MRI and CAC scoring computed tomography at healthcare centers affiliated with a tertiary hospital. Cerebral WMH was defined as Fazekas score greater than 2 on brain MRI. Intracranial artery stenosis (ICAS) was also assessed and determined to be present when stenosis was more than 50% on angiography. The associations of risk factors, CAC score, and ICAS with cerebral WMH were assessed by multivariable regression analysis. In multivariable analysis, categories of higher CAC scores showed increased associations with both periventricular and deep WMHs in a dose-dependent relationship. The presence of ICAS was also significantly related to cerebral WMH, and among the clinical variables, age and hypertension were independent risk factors. In conclusion, CAC showed a significant association with cerebral WMH in a healthy population, which might provide evidence for referring to the CAC score to identify individuals with risk of cerebral WMH.