Comparison between Multiple Lacunar Infarcted Patients with and without Dementia in Nursing Homes in Shimane Prefecture, Japan

We evaluated the activity of daily living (ADL) scores, the frequency of hypertension (HT) and diabetes mellitus (DM), and the frequency and distribution of white matter lesions in a vascular dementia group with multiple lacunar infarctions (VD group; 20 cases) and a nondemented group with multiple lacunar infarctions (non-D group; 32 cases), relative to a normal control group (29 cases). There were no significant differences in HT and DM among the three groups. ADL scores were significantly lower in the VD than in the non-D group, each of which was lower than in the control group. Frequency of white matter lesions (Binswanger’s disease-like lesions in the frontal and parietal lobes) was significantly higher in the VD than in the non-D group, which was higher than in the control group. We believe that for dementia with multiple lacunar infarctions, diffusely affected cerebrum including white matter lesions, which results in low ADL scores for symptoms, may be a prerequisite.