Hepatocyte growth factor is a significant risk factor for white matter lesions in Japanese type 2 diabetic patients.

Background: The presence of white matter lesions (WML) is an important prognostic factor for the development of stroke. Elevated hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) levels are associated with a high mortality rate in type 2 diabetic patients. The preliminary study was therefore designed to test the hypothesis that the presence of WML correlates with HGF and insulin resistance in type 2 diabetic patients not receiving insulin treatment.