Many people with schizophrenia worry about their long-term brain health. They often face stigma and struggle with daily life. Now, new data suggests their brains might show hidden signs of blood vessel problems. These changes are called covert cerebrovascular changes. They are not visible on a standard scan but can be seen with special tools. Understanding them helps doctors care for patients better.
Researchers looked at data from over 11,600 people. They searched international and Chinese medical databases. The group included patients with schizophrenia and healthy people without the condition. They compared brain scans to find hidden signs of blood vessel trouble. These signs include white matter hyperintensities, perivascular spaces, brain atrophy, silent brain infarction, lacunes, and cortical superficial siderosis.
The study found that 45.7 percent of patients had enlarged perivascular spaces. Another 34.8 percent showed brain atrophy, which means the brain has shrunk slightly. White matter hyperintensities were seen in 26.3 percent of patients. Silent brain infarction appeared in 12.8 percent. Smaller issues like lacunes were found in 2.5 to 12.5 percent. Cortical superficial siderosis was seen in 4.4 percent. These numbers are higher than in healthy people for some issues.
However, the comparison to healthy people was not always clear. For white matter hyperintensities and silent brain infarction, the difference between patients and healthy people was not statistically significant. This means the data did not prove a clear link for those specific signs. The study did not report safety concerns or side effects because it was a review of existing scans, not a test of a new drug.
Experts warn that these numbers come from many different studies. The results vary a lot because the studies were not done the same way. Older age and family history also affect these brain changes. This means we cannot say for sure that schizophrenia causes these vessel issues. We must be careful not to overreact to a single review.
Right now, doctors need better ways to check for these hidden vessel problems. They should use specific definitions to test if schizophrenia is truly linked to these lesions. Patients should not panic over these numbers. They should talk to their doctor about their personal risk. More research is needed to understand what these changes mean for daily life.