Takeaway
Increased cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD) was associated with worse multiple sclerosis (MS) outcomes.
Why this matters
Patients with MS and vascular comorbidities – including diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and heart disease – have faster progression to disability and lower brain volumes than patients without vascular comorbidities.
It is possible that MS is associated with increased severity of vascular disease, both cerebral and systemic; however, studies attempting to link vascular disease and MS to date have been challenging to design and implement and have produced inconsistent results.