Intracranial deep white matter lesions (DWLs) are associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and cognitive impairment: a 5-year follow-up magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study.

Stroke incidence and cognitive decline are related to progression of arteriosclerosis in intracranial DWLs. However, the relationships between DWLs and factors associated with their progression, including CKD, have not been fully elucidated using longitudinal MRI. Of 291 individuals (184 males, 107 females; age 66.9 ± 6.1 years) who had voluntarily participated in a hospital-based health check-up and underwent repeated brain MRI scans in 2003 and 2008, 273 were evaluated in this study. The DWL group included those having DWL without progression, and the DWL progression (DWLP) group included those having an increase in grade number according to the Fazekas classification. Unimpaired age-matched subjects with no brain MRI abnormalities constituted Group C. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and verbal fluency tasks were used for objective cognitive evaluations according to the MR evaluation schedule in 2008. Associations between DWLs and vascular risk factors were examined. DWLP occurred in 9.2% of subjects. Compared to Group C subjects, DWL and DWLP group subjects had high odds ratios (ORs) for hypertension (HT) (2.23 and 2.92, respectively) and CKD (1.40 and 2.41, respectively). After adjustment for potential confounders, the ORs of CKD for DWLs remained significant (1.13 and 1.43, p<0.05). DWLs and DWLP were associated with low cognitive scale scores and increased CKD. In conclusion, CKD was associated with DWLs and DWLP as an independent risk factor and a lower level of cognitive function 5 years after CKD was identified. Successful CKD therapy may be expected to prevent DWLP.