Presence of Cerebral Microbleeds Is Unrelated to the Body Mass Index in Amerindians. A Population Study in Rural Ecuador (The Atahualpa Project).

BACKGROUND: Information on the relationship between the presence of cerebral microbleeds (CMB) and the body weight is inconsistent. Moreover, studies have been limited to Asian and White populations. We aimed at assessing the association between CMB and the body mass index (BMI) in an indigenous South American population.

METHODS: CMB were identified by gradient-echo MRI and the BMI was calculated in community dwellers aged ≥60 enrolled in the Atahualpa Project. The association between CMB and the BMI was examined in logistic regression models adjusted for relevant confounders.

RESULTS: CMB were recognized in 41 (13%) out of 311 participants. These individuals were older, more often hypertensive, had a worse diet, had more severe white matter hyperintensities and strokes than those without CMB. Anthropometric measurements were 148 ± 9 cm for height, 58 ± 12 kg for weight, and 26.7 ± 5 kg/m2 for the BMI. Multivariate models showed no association between the presence of CMB and the BMI (OR 0.97; 95% CI 0.89-1.05; p = 0.508). Analyses with CMB categorized according to their location did not show associations between strictly lobar or deep CMB and the BMI.

CONCLUSION: The presence of CMB is unrelated to abnormal BMI determinations in Ecuadorian natives/mestizos.