Cerebral microbleeds and depression in Lacunar Stroke

Abstract

Background and Purpose: Cerebral microbleeds (CMB) are common in stroke survivors and the community-dwelling elderly. The clinical significance of CMB in the development of depression after a stroke is unknown. This study examined the association between poststroke depression (PSD) and CMB.

Methods: A cohort of 235 patients with acute lacunar stroke admitted to the stroke unit of a university-affiliated regional hospital in Hong Kong was recruited. Three months after the onset of the index stroke, a research assistant administered the locally validated 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale. PSD was defined as a Genetic Depression Scale score of ≥7. The presence and location of CMB were evaluated with MRI.

Results: In comparison with the non-PSD group, PSD patients were more likely to have lobar CMB (33.3% versus 19.9%; P=0.022). Lobar CMB remained an independent predictor of PSD in the multivariate analysis, with an odds ratio of 2.08 (P=0.032).

Conclusions: The results suggest that lobar CMB may play a role in the development of PSD. The importance of CMB in the pathogenesis of depression in stroke survivors and the general elderly population warrants further investigation.

Keywords

peer-reviewed

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Link to Publisher Version (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.1161/​STROKEAHA.111.614586