Aim: We evaluated the relationships between serum levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and interleukin (IL)-6 with the severity of leukoaraiosis.
Methods: One hundred and thirty-seven elderly women who attended the Center for Comprehensive Care on Memory Disorders at Kyorin University Hospital were enrolled in this study. Leukoaraiosis was assessed by periventricular hyperintensity (PVH) score and deep white matter hyperintensity (DWMH) score.
Results: Serum log IL-6 level correlated with PVH and DWMH scores, but hsCRP did not. By multinomial logistic analysis, IL-6 was significantly related to DWMH score, independent of age and systolic blood pressure.
Conclusion: IL-6 is presumably an important marker of leukoaraiosis, as is the case with silent cerebral infarction.
© 2011 Japan Geriatrics Society.