Bonnie Yin Ka LamBrian YiuEncarnita AmpilChristopher Li Hsian ChenYustiani DikotJacqueline C. DominguezPatel Vishal GaneshbhaiSaima HilalNagaendran KandiahSang Yun KimJun Young LeeAnam Paulus OngVorapun SenanarongKam Tat LeungHuali WangYuan Han YangTingting YongFaheem ArshadSuvarna AlladiSamuel WongHo KoAlexander Yuk Lun LauVincent Chung Tong MokPeking University Sixth HospitalNational University Health SystemSeoul National University Bundang HospitalChinese University of Hong Kong, Faculty of MedicineKaohsiung Medical University Chung-Ho Memorial HospitalUniversity of Santo Tomas, ManilaHasan Sadikin HospitalNational Neuroscience Institute of SingaporeNational University of SingaporeNational Institute of Mental Health and Neuro SciencesMahidol UniversityChinese University of Hong KongSeoul National University College of MedicineJenderal Achmad Yani UniversitySt. Luke's Medical Centre2022-08-042022-08-042021-12-01Scientific Reports. Vol.11, No.1 (2021)204523222-s2.0-85107213249https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/79243Age-related white matter lesion (WML) is considered a manifestation of sporadic cerebral small vessel disease and an important pathological substrate for dementia. Asia is notable for its large population with a looming dementia epidemic. Yet, the burden of WML and its associated risk factors across different Asian societies are unknown. Subjects from 9 Asian cities (Bangkok, Bandung, Beijing, Bengaluru, Hong Kong, Kaohsiung, Manila, Seoul, and Singapore) were recruited (n = 5701) and classified into (i) stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA), (ii) Alzheimer’s disease (AD)/mild cognitive impairment (MCI), or (iii) control groups. Data on vascular risk factors and cognitive performance were collected. The severity of WML was visually rated on MRI or CT. The prevalence of moderate-to-severe WML was the highest in subjects with stroke/TIA (43.3%). Bandung Indonesia showed the highest prevalence of WML, adjusted for age, sex, education, disease groups, and imaging modality. Hypertension and hyperlipidemia were significant risk factors for WML, and WML was negatively associated with MMSE in all groups. WML is highly prevalent in Asia and is associated with increasing age, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and worse cognitive performance. Concerted efforts to prevent WML will alleviate the huge dementia burden in the rapidly aging Asian societies.Mahidol UniversityMultidisciplinaryArticleSCOPUS10.1038/s41598-021-90746-x