ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the changes of cerebrovascular reserve capacity (CVR) in patients with ischemic white matter lesions (WML). Methods 126 patients with WML were divided into mild lesion, moderate lesion, severe WML groups and a normal control group by brain MRI. Blood pressure, blood sugar, blood fat were measured and past medical histories were recorded in details. All the patients were routinely examined using TCD to evaluate CVR. Hypercapnia was induced by inhaling the CO2 they breathed themselves and hypocapnia was done by voluntary hyperventilation. Results Age, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and Apo-A were the independent risk factors for WML. Compared with the controls , CVR decreased significantly in the severe and moderate WML groups (P < 0.05). The extent of WML negatively correlated to the cerebrovascular reserve capacity (rs = -0.273, -0.392). Conclusions Age, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and Apo-A are the independent risk factors for WML. CVR is significantly decreased in the WML.