Small-Vessel Disease in the Brain

Authors

Amita Singh
Gabriel Bonnell
Justin De Prey
Natalie Buchwald
Kyrillos Eskander
Keith J Kincaid
Christina A Wilson

Publication Date

3-1-2023

Journal

American Heart Journal Plus: Cardiology Research and Practice

Abstract

Cerebral small-vessels are generally located in the brain at branch points from major cerebral blood vessels and perfuse subcortical structures such as the white matter tracts, basal ganglia, thalamus, and pons. Cerebral small-vessel disease (CSVD) can lead to several different clinical manifestations including ischemic lacunar stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, and vascular dementia. Risk factors for CSVD overlap with conventional vascular risk factors including hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and hypercholesterolemia, as well as genetic causes. As in cardiovascular disease, treatment of CSVD involves both primary and secondary prevention. Aspirin has not been established as a primary prevention strategy for CSVD among the general population; however, long-term antiplatelet therapy with aspirin alone continues to be the mainstay of secondary stroke prevention for non-cardioembolic ischemic stroke and high-risk TIA.

Keywords

Small-vessel disease, Brain, Ischemic stroke, Hemorrhage, Vascular dementia