Introduction:
White matter hyperintensities (WMH) are linked to cognitive decline and stroke. We hypothesized that Black race would be associated with greater WMH progression in the ACCORDION MIND trial.
Methods:
The primary outcome is WMH progression in mL, evaluated by fitting linear regression to WMH volume on the month 80 MRI and including the WMH volume on the baseline MRI. The primary predictor is patient race, with the exclusion of patients defined as “other” race. We also derived predicted probabilities of our outcome for systolic blood pressure (SBP) levels.
Results:
We included 276 patients who completed the baseline and month 80 MRI, of which 207 were white, 48 Black, and 21 Hispanic. During follow-up, the mean number of SBP, LDL, and A1c measurements per patient was 21, 8, and 15. The mean (SD) WMH progression was 3.3 (5.4) mL for blacks, 2.5 (3.2) mL for Hispanics, and 2.4 (3.3) mL for whites. In the multivariate regression model (Table 1), Black, compared to white, patients had significantly more WMH progression (β Coefficient 1.26, 95% CI 0.45-2.06, p=0.002). Hispanic, compared to white, patients did not have significantly different WMH progression (p=0.392), nor was there a difference when comparing Hispanic to Black patients (p=0.162). The predicted WMH progression was significantly higher for Black compared to white patients across a mean SBP of 117 to 139 mm Hg (Figure 1).
Conclusions:
Black diabetic patients in ACCORDION MIND have a higher risk of WMH progression than white patients across a normal range of systolic blood pressure.
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