To test or not to test –Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy (CAA).


CAA is a serious age-related condition that may be discovered only after a hemorrhagic stroke followed by an MRI. Since MRI’s are not exceedingly expensive, why not test seniors (over age 75 for example) for the disease–especially if they have risk factors that they might reduce in order to reduce the risk of a stroke?

Unfortunately, one study has found that the “Severity of CAA showed no relationship with the history of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, or diabetes mellitus, nor with severity of atherosclerosis of cerebral and systemic arteries.”
“Risk factors for cerebral amyloid angiopathy in the elderly,” Yamada M.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12480732/

If the above is correct, the consequence of an early diagnosis might cause unnecessary stress and significantly reduce opportunities to enjoy live without providing many obvious options to reduce risks.


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