Cerebral Small Vessel Disease (CSVD)
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High blood pressure, insufficient sleep and lack of exercise can cause severe brain damage and lead to dementia.
Prof. Dr. med. Stefanie Schreiber, works at the Department of Neurology at Magdeburg University Hospital and at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE). There she researches Cerebral Small Vessel Disease (CSVD).
Emma is a 62-year-old woman who suffers from gait disorder. Her family members describe her as unusually irritable. The doctors decide to examine the brain in an MRI.
Want to learn more about MRI?
An MRI is a device used to visualize the internal structures of our body. Unlike X-rays, MRIs use magnetic fields instead of radiation, which are harmless to the human body. The result is cross-sectional images of the body.
Emma may have CSVD, which is caused by damaged blood vessels in the brain and affects surrounding brain tissue.
Want to learn more about the different types of brain tissue damage?
There are different types of damaged brain tissue. MRI has a variety of modes to visualize them.
Several black dots, called microbleeds, are visible on this MRI image.
Several large, white spots can be seen on this MRI image. They are called hyperintensities because they glow brighter than the surrounding tissue.
But how is the damage to brain tissue caused?
A damaged vessel wall allows blood to enter the brain.
Blocked blood vessels prevent the supply of some brain regions with important substances, such as oxygen.
There are two types of CSVD.
The subtypes Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy (CAA) and Hypertensive Arteriopathy (HA) are distinguished by viewing the MRI images.
Make a diagnosis for Emma. Does she have CAA or HA?
Make a diagnosis for Emma:
Unfortunately wrong. In CAA, the damaged brain tissue is exclusively in the outer brain regions. Emma, however, has more damage in the inner brain regions and thus HA.
This is how HA can develop in 9 years. Treatment can slow the progression of the disease and reduce brain damage.
What can be done to prevent CSVD? Several risk factors can increase the likelihood of getting sick. Keep scrolling to see the percentage of patients who share common risk factors.
Magdeburg University Hospital collects data on its CSVD patients. Most of them have high blood pressure.
At a young age, this is the main risk factor for disease 15 to 20 years later!
Age is a common risk factor for CSVD. In men, CSVD occurs twice as often as in women at the age of 50-60 years.
CSVD disease can cause a variety of symptoms.
However, the symptoms often resemble normal signs of aging and are not automatically a cause for concern!
Emma decided to treat HA by striving for a healthier lifestyle.
Want to learn more about a healthy lifestyle?
A healthy lifestyle contributes to the prevention and treatment of CSVD.
This project was developed in collaboration with the Faculty of Computer Science and the Faculty of Medicine at Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg and the German Center for Degenerative Diseases (DZNE).
Thank you for viewing our story!
Correct! Just as is typical for HA, in Emma's case it is mainly the inner brain tissue that is damaged. In CAA, only the outer regions would be affected.
This is how HA can develop in 9 years. Treatment can slow the progression of the disease and reduce brain damage.
What can be done to prevent CSVD? Several risk factors can increase the likelihood of getting sick. Keep scrolling to see the percentage of patients who share common risk factors.
Magdeburg University Hospital collects data on its CSVD patients. Most of them have high blood pressure.
At a young age, this is the main risk factor for disease 15 to 20 years later!
Age is a common risk factor for CSVD. In men, CSVD occurs twice as often as in women at the age of 50-60 years.
CSVD disease can cause a variety of symptoms.
However, the symptoms often resemble normal signs of aging and are not automatically a cause for concern!
Emma decided to treat HA by striving for a healthier lifestyle.
Want to learn more about a healthy lifestyle?
A healthy lifestyle contributes to the prevention and treatment of CSVD.
This project was developed in collaboration with the Faculty of Computer Science and the Faculty of Medicine at Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg and the German Center for Degenerative Diseases (DZNE).
Thank you for viewing our story!
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