The clinical significance of brain microbleeds in patients with Alzheimer's disease: Preliminary study

BACKGROUND: Microbleeds (MBs) are observed frequently in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and suggested to play a crucial role in the pathophysiology, but their clinical significance remains unclear. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study recruited 100 patients with AD who were diagnosed at the memory clinic in Seoul Medical Center in 2014. For each patient, baseline characteristics, neuropsychological tests, cerebrovascular risk factors, medial temporal lobe atrophy (MTLA), and severity of small vessel disease (SVD) according to the existence of MBs were evaluated. RESULTS: The prevalence of MBs in patients with AD was 33%. The percentage of male gender, the severity of SVD and MTLA were significantly increased in MB(+) group. The MB(+) group showed more severe MTLA and SVD than MB(−) group. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggested that MBs might reflect the burden of amyloid and ischemic vascular pathology.