STATE OF INTRA- AND EXTRACRANIAL ARTERIES, WHITE MATTER AND CEREBRAL CORTEX IN ASYMPTOMATIC HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS
Aim. To assess the state of intra- and extracranial arteries, white matter and cerebral cortex in asymptomatic hypertensive (HTN) patients according to multimodal examination. <br>Material and methods. The study included data from 147 asymptomatic individuals (without prior ischemic stroke) with an established HTN (n=43; 29,3%) and without it. All participants underwent extracranial duplex ultrasound, transcranial duplex sonography, detection of middle cerebral artery microembolism, and brain magnetic resonance imaging. We performed a statistical analysis of the data obtained, adjusted for age and body mass index. <br>Results. In patients with HTN, atherosclerotic plaques were more often detected - 37,2 vs 14,4% on the right (p=0,027) and 41,9 vs 13,5% on the left (p=0,001). In these patients, intima-media abnormalities and common carotid artery narrowing were also more common. Regional temporal lobe atrophy (p=0,044 on the right and p=0,046 on the left), central atrophy (p=0,045), focal periventricular white matter abnormalities (p=0,004) were more pronounced in hypertensive patients. There was no association between HTN and the presence of cerebral microbleeds, as well as the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score. <br>Conclusion. In asymptomatic hypertensive patients relative to those without HTN, with comparable body mass index and age, head arterial abnormalities are more pronounced, but this regards only large ones - the common carotid artery. In these patients, more pronounced white matter and cerebral cortex changes were revealed.