ischemic white matter disease

[barbarag1505]

I'm 71 and for about 15 years I've suffered from chronic fatigue.  I just had an MRI and it showed ischemic white matter disease.  Could this be relevant?  What does it mean?  Is it just a sign of an aging brain or is it more than that?

Thank you.

Barbara Goldberg

[Jezzibleu]

PLEASE  be very careful if you take cumadin (the blood thinning drug); know the risk as well as the benefit.   My mother was on this medication and she had weakened blood vessels from years of high blood pressure. She had white ischemic matter disease also.  She had a rupture of an artery in her brain and she was bleeding in her brain so fast that they could not alter the affects of the cumadin in time to do surgery to stop it. It is so important to double check your dosages, keep a close watch on your pro-time ( measure of how thin your blood is ), and if you start having small surface blood vessels just bursting with very little or no stress to that area, GO TO THE DOCTOR!    If you bump or hit your head, have yourself checked immediately, don't assume anything!  Patients on cumadin should use the same precautions as people who are 'bleeders'.  

[Pattylee466]

I am having petite mal seizures or black outs. I am seeing a neurologist and have been for the last seven years. He calls what I have petite mal but I am afraid that, when I do have these episodes Something awful may happen because I do drive and I have had a few accidents. I do not want to lose my license but know it might happen if I cannot find out what can be done besides taking medication. MRI's, Cat scans, and any other type of scan, have all been okay. My seizures began from a car accident in 1993. I had a Grand mal and Petite mal"s there after. They happen ever so often. I am 5'3 and weight 190, could it be a weight problem? Thank you.
Patricia        

[KatMW]

My wife's recent MRI listed:

"chronic ischemic small vessel white matter disease and other demyelinating processes".

Does that include MS?

It also mentioned "several spotty foci of high T1/FLAIR signal in a subcortical and periventricular distribution"--Does this mean anything?

I have heard that MS shows white matter disease in specific areas of the brain, areas different from those of migraines, for instance.  Is this true?  If so, in what areas will MS likely show up?

Another of her MRI reports mentioned 'compressed CSF pool in the region of foramen magnum'.  She is having Chiari alleviation surgery Jan 22, 08, but we are trying to find out of MS is at work in her also.

Thanks for your help,

Mike

[barbarag1505]

Thank you.

[Fernando Roque, MD]

Hi.  Ischemic white matter disease is a common finding on MRI with patients over 50 years old and may be a non-specific finding.  Your symptoms of chronic fatigue may be due to illness in some other body organ.  Diseases of the heart, lungs, diabetes or a chronic lingering infection can all cause symptoms of fatigue.  It may be best to have yourself checked by a doctor to see what's wrong.