Cerebral Microbleeds Are Predictive of Mortality in the Elderly

Irmhild Schneider¹, Stella Trompet¹, Anton J.M. de Craen¹, Adriaan C.G.M. van Es¹, Mark A. van Buchem¹, Jeroen van der Grond¹

Cerebral microbleeds are commonly found in patients with ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and Alzheimer disease. In this study we investigated the prognostic value of microbleeds in terms of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality in a population suffering from vascular disease or at high risk for developing this condition. We found that the presence of two or more microbleeds implicates an increased risk of overall death. Furthermore, only non-CAA type microbleeds were associated with increased risk of cardiovascular death. Therefore, CAA type small vessel disease cannot be considered as risk factor for (cardiovascular) mortality.