Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy: A Case Report and Literature ...

Abstract

Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is a condition characterized by accumulation of amyloid-beta peptide in the walls of the small and medium-sized arteries of the brain and leptomeninges. This condition disrupts the structure of the vessel wall and makes it prone to bleeding. This is an important cause of intracerebral hemorrhage in elderly accompanying to Alzheimer’s disease or to a familial syndrome. Clinically, it usually presents with spontaneous lobar hemorrhage, as well as transient neurological signs, seizures, cognitive disorders, headache, incidental findings like microhaemorrhages and hemosiderosis observed on magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Herein, we report a hypertensive patient diagnosed with CAA who presented with the complaints of balance disorder while walking. CAA should be suspected in patients with lobar hemorrhage aged 65 years and over. Surgical treatment should not be performed because it could worsen the condition. Clinical improvement can be expected from supportive management, monitoring hypertension, and steroid - immunosuppressive therapies.

Keywords

• intracerebral hemorrhage
• hypertension
• Cerebral amyloid angiopathy
• hypertension