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Decreased hemoglobin levels, cerebral small-vessel disease, and cortical atrophy: among cognitively normal elderly women and men

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 May 2015

Sang Eon Park
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea Neuroscience Center, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Science and Technology, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
Hojeong Kim
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea Neuroscience Center, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Science and Technology, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
Jeongmin Lee
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea Neuroscience Center, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Science and Technology, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
Na Kyung Lee
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea Neuroscience Center, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Science and Technology, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
Jung Won Hwang
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea Neuroscience Center, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Science and Technology, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
Jin-ju Yang
Affiliation:
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea
Byoung Seok Ye
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
Hanna Cho
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
Hee Jin Kim
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea Neuroscience Center, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
Yeo Jin Kim
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea Neuroscience Center, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
Na-Yeon Jung
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea Neuroscience Center, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
Tae Ok Son
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea Neuroscience Center, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
Eun Bin Cho
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea Neuroscience Center, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
Hyemin Jang
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea Neuroscience Center, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
Eun Young Jang
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea Neuroscience Center, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
Chang Hyung Hong
Affiliation:
Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, South Korea
Jong-Min Lee
Affiliation:
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea
Mira Kang
Affiliation:
Center for Health Promotion, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea
Hee-Young Shin
Affiliation:
Center for Health Promotion, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea
Duk L. Na
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea Neuroscience Center, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Science and Technology, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
Sang Won Seo*
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea Neuroscience Center, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea Department of Clinical Research Design and Evaluation, SAIHST, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, South Korea
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Sang Won Seo, Professor, Department of Neurology, Neuroscience Center, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 81, Irwon-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 135-710, South Korea. Phone: +82-2-3410-1233/-3599; Fax: +82-2-3410-0052. Email: sangwonseo@empal.com.

Abstract

Background:

Decreased hemoglobin levels increase the risk of developing dementia among the elderly. However, the underlying mechanisms that link decreased hemoglobin levels to incident dementia still remain unclear, possibly due to the fact that few studies have reported on the relationship between low hemoglobin levels and neuroimaging markers. We, therefore, investigated the relationships between decreased hemoglobin levels, cerebral small-vessel disease (CSVD), and cortical atrophy in cognitively healthy women and men.

Methods:

Cognitively normal women (n = 1,022) and men (n = 1,018) who underwent medical check-ups and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were enrolled at a health promotion center. We measured hemoglobin levels, white matter hyperintensities (WMH) scales, lacunes, and microbleeds. Cortical thickness was automatically measured using surface based methods. Multivariate regression analyses were performed after controlling for possible confounders.

Results:

Decreased hemoglobin levels were not associated with the presence of WMH, lacunes, or microbleeds in women and men. Among women, decreased hemoglobin levels were associated with decreased cortical thickness in the frontal (Estimates, 95% confidence interval, −0.007, (−0.013, −0.001)), temporal (−0.010, (−0.018, −0.002)), parietal (−0.009, (−0.015, −0.003)), and occipital regions (−0.011, (−0.019, −0.003)). Among men, however, no associations were observed between hemoglobin levels and cortical thickness.

Conclusion:

Our findings suggested that decreased hemoglobin levels affected cortical atrophy, but not increased CSVD, among women, although the association is modest. Given the paucity of modifiable risk factors for age-related cognitive decline, our results have important public health implications.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2015 

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