Published Online
on June 2, 2005

A more recent version of this article appeared on July 1, 2005

This Article Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 36/7/1572    most recent 01.STR.0000169920.64180.fav1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Soljanlahti, S. Articles by Vuorio, A. F. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Soljanlahti, S. Articles by Vuorio, A. F. Related Collections Risk Factors Imaging Computerized tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Submitted on December 31, 2004
Revised on January 21, 2005
Accepted on January 24, 2005

Familial Hypercholesterolemia Patients Treated With Statins at No Increased Risk for Intracranial Vascular Lesions Despite Increased Cholesterol Burden and Extracranial Atherosclerosis

Sami Soljanlahti MD^*; Taina Autti MD, PhD; Kirsi Lauerma MD, PhD; Raili Raininko MD, PhD; Pekka Keto MD, PhD; Hannu Turtola MD; and Alpo F. Vuorio MD, PhD

From the Medical Imaging Center (S.S., T.A., K.L., P.K.), Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland; the Department of Radiology (R.R.), Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; the Department of Internal Medicine (H.T.), North Karelia Central Hospital, Joensuu, Finland; and the Division of Internal Medicine (A.F.V.), Department of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: sami.soljanlahti{at}hus.fi.

Background and Purpose--To correlate known vascular disease risk factors and the signs of extracranial and intracranial changes of vascular origin in young patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (FH).

Methods--39 DNA test-verified heterozygous FH North Karelian patients (FH-NK), aged 6 to 48, 28 of them treated with statins, and 25 healthy controls underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and carotid ultrasound.

Results--Common carotid intima-media thickness was significantly greater in the patients (P=0.005). MR angiography showed no pathological changes, other than 1 incidental aneurysm. The number and size of white matter hyperintensities on T2-weighted MR images, considered as markers of microvascular alterations, did not differ between patients and controls.

Conclusions--FH-NK patients treated with statins seem to be at no increased risk for brain infarcts or other brain lesions of vascular origin when younger than age 50.

Key words: arteriosclerosis • hypercholesterolemia • magnetic resonance imaging • ultrasonography

This article has been cited by other articles:

				C. Akyol, E. Turkoglu, B. Kazanci, H. Seckin, H. Kertmen, and M. Bavbek Intraparenchymal haematoma related to true middle meningeal artery aneurysm: a case report BMJ Case Reports, September 1, 2009; 2009(aug31_1): bcr0320091711 - bcr0320091711. [Abstract] [Full Text]