Orthostatic and Supine Blood Pressures Are Associated with White Matter Hyperintensities in Parkinson Disease

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Several reports on the elderly population have suggested that orthostatic hypotension is associated with white matter hyperintensities (WMH); however, little information is available on patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). METHODS: We analyzed the association blood pressure profiles during tilt table testing with WMH scores in 117 patients with PD. WMH were rated using the semiquantitative visual rating system proposed by Scheltens et al. RESULTS: The presence of orthostatic hypotension was associated with increasing tendency of WMH score and the blood pressure changes during tilting and supine blood pressure were positively correlated with increasing WMH score. CONCLUSIONS: This finding indicates that hemodynamic changes associated with orthostatic hypotension may be associated with white matter changes in patients with PD.