Brain Imaging Findings in Elderly Adults and Years of Life, Healthy Life, and Able Life over the Ensuing 16 Years: The Cardiovascular Health Study

• Published in: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS) 2014-10, Vol.62 (10), p.1838-1843
• Main Authors: Longstreth Jr, W. T., Diehr, Paula H., Yee, Laura M., Newman, Anne B., Beauchamp, Norman J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activities of Daily Living; Aged; Atrophy; Biological and medical sciences; Brain; Brain - pathology; Brain Infarction - pathology; Cohort Studies; cohort study; Disability Evaluation; Female; General aspects; Geriatrics; Health Status; Humans; Leukoaraiosis - pathology; Longevity; Longitudinal Studies; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Medical sciences; Miscellaneous; Mortality; NMR; Nuclear magnetic resonance; outcome assessment; Prognosis; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Regression Analysis; United States - epidemiology
• ISSN: 0002-8614; 1532-5415
• DOI: 10.1111/jgs.13068

Objectives To determine whether elderly people with different patterns of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings have different long‐term outcomes. Design Longitudinal cohort study. Setting Cardiovascular Health Study. Participants Individuals aged 65 and older were recruited (N = 5,888); 3,660 of these underwent MRI, and 3,230 without a stroke before MRI were included in these analyses. Measurements Cluster analysis of brain MRI findings was previously used to define five clusters: normal, atrophy, simple infract, leukoaraiosis, and complex infarct. Participants were subsequently classified as healthy if they rated their health as excellent, very good, or good and as able if they did not report any limitations in activities of daily living (ADLs). Mean years of life (YoL), years of healthy life (YHL), and years of able life (YAL) were calculated over 16 years after the MRI and compared between clusters using unadjusted and adjusted regression analyses. Results Mean age of participants was 75.0. With 16 years of follow‐up, mean YoL was 11.3; YHL, 8.0; and YAL, 8.4. Outcomes differed significantly between clusters. With or without adjustments, outcomes were all significantly better in the normal than complex infarct cluster. The three remaining clusters had intermediate results, significantly different from the normal and complex infarct clusters but not usually from one another. Over 16 years of follow‐up, participants in the complex infarct cluster (n = 368) spent the largest percentage of their 8.4 years alive being sick (38%) and not able (38%). Conclusion Findings on MRI scans in elderly adults are associated not only with long‐term survival, but also with long‐term self‐rated health and limitation in ADLs. The combination of infarcts and leukoaraiosis carried the worst prognosis, presumably reflecting small vessel disease.