Key result
Sex shows no interaction with cardiovascular function markers for vascular brain injury manifestations.
Why the study?
Sex differences exist in vascular brain injury among memory clinic patients, but whether this is explained by sex differences in cardiovascular function remains unconfirmed.
Cross-Sectional (n=160)
p-value: p=> 0.05
Sex differences in vascular brain injury patterns among patients with cognitive complaints are not explained by differences in cardiovascular function.
Cardiovascular function may modify sex-specific patterns of vascular brain injury in memory clinic patients; leaves open whether this interaction warrants sex-tailored risk management.
BACKGROUND: Emerging evidence shows sex differences in manifestations of vascular brain injury in memory clinic patients. We hypothesize that this is explained by sex differences in cardiovascular function. OBJECTIVE: To assess the relation between sex and manifestations of vascular brain injury in patients with cognitive complaints, in interaction with cardiovascular function. METHODS: 160 outpatient clinic patients (68.8±8.5 years, 38% female) with cognitive complaints and vascular brain injury from the Heart-Brain Connection study underwent a standardized work-up, including heart-brain MRI. We calculated sex differences in vascular brain injury (lacunar infarcts, non-lacunar infarcts, white matter hyperintensities [WMHs], and microbleeds) and cardiovascular function (arterial stiffness, cardiac index, left ventricular [LV] mass index, LV mass-to-volume ratio and cerebral blood flow). In separate regression models, we analyzed the interaction effect between sex and cardiovascular function markers on manifestations of vascular brain injury with interaction terms (sex*cardiovascular function marker). RESULTS: Males had more infarcts, whereas females tended to have larger WMH-volumes. Males had higher LV mass indexes and LV mass-to-volume ratios and lower CBF values compared to females. Yet, we found no interaction effect between sex and individual cardiovascular function markers in relation to the different manifestations of vascular brain injury (p-values interaction terms > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Manifestations of vascular brain injury in patients with cognitive complaints differed by sex. There was no interaction between sex and cardiovascular function, warranting further studies to explain the observed sex differences in injury patterns.
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Kuipers et al. (2021) conducted a cross-sectional in Cognitive complaints and vascular brain injury (n=160). Male sex vs. Female sex was evaluated on Interaction effect between sex and cardiovascular function markers on manifestations of vascular brain injury (p=> 0.05). Sex differences in vascular brain injury manifestations were observed, but there was no significant interaction between sex and cardiovascular function markers (p>0.05).
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