Korean J Fam Pract. 2018; 8(3): 477-481  https://doi.org/10.21215/kjfp.2018.8.3.477
Association of Metabolic Syndrome with White Matter Hyperintensity Volume in Neurologically Healthy Adults
Miso Kang1, Jin-Ho Park1,2,*, Ki-Woong Nam3, Hyung-Min Kwon3,4, Sang Hyuck Kim1, Su-Min Jeong1, Shinhye Kim1, Tae Gon Yoo1, Ji Eun Lee1
1Department of Family Medicine and 2Health Promotion Center, Seoul National University Hospital; 3Department of Neurology, Seoul Metropolitan Government-Seoul National University Boramae Medical Center; 4Department of Neurology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
Jin-Ho Park
Tel: +82-2-2072-3335, Fax: +82-2-766-3296
E-mail: kkolzzi0@gmail.com
ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3942-6813
Received: July 6, 2017; Revised: September 5, 2017; Accepted: September 15, 2017; Published online: June 20, 2018.
© The Korean Academy of Family Medicine. All rights reserved.

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
Background: White matter hyperintensity (WMH), known to be caused by chronic ischemic damage in blood vessels, is a predictor of stroke and cognitive decline. Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a risk factor for blood vascular disorders, such as atherosclerosis. This study aimed to analyze the association of MS with WMH volume in adults without a history of stoke or transient ischemic attack.
Methods: A total of 3,168 subjects who underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging as part of a screening health check-up were enrolled in this study. WMH volume was quantitatively measured, and its square root value was calculated for the normal distribution data prior to analysis. MS was defined as according to the 2009 American Heart Association guidelines. Multivariate linear regression analysis was performed for the association between MS and WMH volume after adjustments for age, sex, body mass index, current smoking status, and anticoagulant or antithrombotic drug intake.
Results: The mean age of the subjects was 56.4±9.5 years, and the mean WMH volume was 2.6±6.3 cm3. A total of 849 subjects (26.8%) met the diagnostic criteria for MS. In multivariate linear regression analysis, MS showed a significant association with WMH volume (β=0.155; P<0.001), and WMH volume tended to increase with an increase in the number of MS components (P<0.001).
Conclusion: MS incidence and its severity, measured by the number of components, were independently associated with WMH volume. Longitudinal studies should be performed in future to evaluate their causal relationship and degree of association.
Keywords: Leukoaraiosis; Metabolic Syndrome; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Cerebrovascular Diseases
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