Cognitive features of white matter lesions accompanied by different risk factors of cerebrovascular diseases.

Background: The relationship between different risk factors and the cognitive impairment of white matter lesions (WML) remains poorly understood.

Objectives: To investigate the features of cognitive impairment of patients diagnosed with WML accompanied by different risk factors of cerebrovascular diseases.

Material And Methods: A total of 157 cases of WML patients were divided into no risk factor group (n = 26), hypertension group (n = 35), diabetes mellitus group (n = 27), dyslipidemia group (n = 30), and mixed factors group (n = 39).

Results: The severity of WML (Fazekas score) in the hypertension and mixed factors groups was higher than in the non-risk factors group. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores in the hypertension and mixed factors groups were lower than in the non-risk factors group. The scores of MoCA, immediate memory and delayed recall in the hypertension and mixed factors groups with Fazekas score ≥3 were lower than in the peer group with Fazekas score <3. The scores of MoCA and immediate memory in the hypertension and mixed factors groups with Fazekas score ≥3 were lower than in the non-risk factors group with Fazekas score ≥3.

Conclusions: Hypertension aggravates the severity of WML and cognitive impairment. The severity of WML is positively correlated with the severity of cognitive impairment accompanied by these risk factors.