The associations of increased cerebral small vessel disease with cognitive impairment in neurosyphilis presenting with ischemic stroke

Background and Purpose Ischemic stroke is a common clinical feature of neurosyphilis, but its accompanying cognitive decline is often overlooked. The mechanisms of cognitive impairment in neurosyphilis presenting with ischemic stroke are not fully understood. Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) was recently shown to predict post-stroke cognitive decline. Therefore, this study aims to validate the correlation between CSVD and cognitive impairment in neurosyphilis presenting with ischemic stroke. Methods We enrolled 179 neurosyphilis patients diagnosed as acute ischemic stroke and performed a 12-month cognitive assessment follow-up. CSVD burden was evaluated by neuroimaging markers, including white matter hyperintensities (WMHs), lacunes, cerebral microbleeds (CMBs), and perivascular spaces (PVS). We performed multivariate logistic regression analysis to determine the association between cognitive decline and total CSVD burden score in neurosyphilis patients. Results The neurosyphilis participants had a significantly higher total CSVD score and lower cognitive function score compared with the syphilis-uninfected patients. Acute cognitive impairment was associated with total CSVD score, extensive microbleeds, and Grade 3 WMHs. After 12-month follow-up, the poor prognosis of post-stroke cognitive impairment was associated with a higher burden of CSVD and extensive microbleeds. Conclusions Cerebral small vessel disease loads in neurosyphilis patients presenting with ischemic stroke are independently associated with acute cognitive impairment and have a prospective value for post-stroke cognitive outcomes.