CORRELATION BETWEEN DEPRESSION, COGNITIVE DYSFUNCTION, AND PERIPHERAL VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL DYSFUNCTION IN PATIENTS WITH CEREBRAL SMALL VESSEL DISEASE

Lin He^* 

Department of Psychiatry, Tianjin Anding Hospital, Tianjin 300000, China

Objective: To explore the correlation between depression, cognitive dysfunction, and peripheral vascular endothelial dysfunction in patients with cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD). 

Methods: 48 patients with cerebrovascular disease, admitted to the Department of Neurology of a research hospital between July 2018 and October 2019, were recruited to the study group. A further 48 healthy volunteers were recruited as the control group.The level of depression in the two groups was assessed using The Hamilton Depression Scale (Ham-D). The cognitive function of patients in the two groups was assessed using The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). The level of expression of homocysteine (Hcy), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and C-reactive protein (CRP) in the two groups was assessed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). 

Results: There was no statistically significant difference in weight, height, and BMI between the two groups (P>0.05). Compared with the control group, the Ham-D level was significantly higher and MoCA level significantly lower in the study group (P<0.01). Compared with the control group, the levels of Hcy and IL-6 in the study group were significantly higher (P<0.01). There was no significant difference in CRP level between the two groups (P>0.05). Ham-D scores were positively correlated with Hcy and IL-6 levels and MoCA scores were negatively correlated with Hcy and IL-6 levels (P<0.05). CRP levels did not have a correlation with Ham-D or MoCA scores. 

Conclusion: The progression of CSVD in patients is correlated with the levels of peripheral vascular endothelial factors in the blood, such as Hcy and IL-6. Increased levels of Hcy and IL-6 are risk factors for cognitive dysfunction in patients with CSVD. Hcy and IL-6 are significantly correlated with disease progression and can be used as important indicators for assessing the severity of disease in CSVD.