With the help of MRI, Japanese researchers have found that silent cerebral infarction (SCI) signals an increased risk of progressive kidney disease and kidney failure in patients with type 2 diabetes.
According to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, if SCI is present in the brain, it could indicate that small-vessel damage is present in the kidneys as well. The research was led by Dr. Takashi Uzu of Shiga University School of Medicine in Otsu.
The study analyzed 608 patients with type 2 diabetes and no history of symptomatic stroke, heart disease, or kidney disease. Using MRI scans, 177 (29%) of the patients exhibited signs of SCI, which were not severe enough to cause overt symptoms of stroke.
At long-term follow-up, diabetic patients with SCI had higher risk of progressive kidney disease. When comparing the results with normal MRI brain scans, patients with SCI were about 2.5 times more likely to die or develop end-stage kidney disease, while the risk of declining kidney function or dialysis was nearly five times greater.
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