Connect
Do white matter hyperintensities mean brain damage, and what do I do?
I recently got a brain MRI due to neurological symptoms I was experiencing. It came back with many white matter hyperintensities, which the nurse practitioner said are typical in patients 70 or 80 years old. But I am only 28. She said it is irreversible and places where my brain doesn’t have blood flow, and that they may cause cognitive issues.
This sounds like brain damage to me and would explain my cognitive symptoms. But the practitioner did not give me any treatment suggestions other than “try to reduce stress levels” which is hard to do when you’re worried about having brain damage!
Does anyone else have success stories with mitigating the damage from these? What should I even do?
Like
Helpful
HugInterested in more discussions like this? Go to the Brain & Nervous System Support Group.
Connect
@skipper79. What kind of neurological symptoms were you having? Are they constantly happening? I recently had an MRI and I had mild changes of chronic microvascular ischemia. I freaked out about it. So I was asking my neurologist about that. He had my MRI on laptop and showed my brain. He pointed out these tiny white spots. He said that awhile back they let everyone in the office get an mri and they got to pick what part of their head they wanted done. He had one and he pointed to his forehead on the right and above that and said he is in his fifties and he had a white spot there. So my comment after his was I guess this is an age thing and he said yes. I am 69. So the ARNP gave you your results. Did you get your report on paper of your MRI? And does it match what the ARNP told you? I have had several scans CT and MRI done in the last few months. This is what I have encountered. So a Doctor of radiology who has been doing this for some time reads your scan and it was put on paper of what the findings were. Does the report on paper match what she told you? But then a Doctor looks at it and can interpret it to be somewhat different. I have had that happen to me. I am not saying yours is wrong but if it were me I would want another opinion. Do you have your MRI disc? I am not saying that the ARNP is wrong. I have an MRI that was done in March 11, 2025 and one in April on the 17th 2025. I read them side by side and some things were different. A couple of years ago I had an MRI and the report said I had some severe stenosis. I saw a neurosurgeon and asked if the severe stenosis could have caused my neck problems. He said I had very little stenosis. Have another opinion. Tell them you want to see it on the screen. Have them explain it and before your visit put your questions on paper. That’s what I do. I hope you get some answers.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
2 Reactions@skipper79
What type of doctor ordered your brain MRI? Are you seeing a neurologist? Do you have high blood pressure, diabetes or smoke/vape? Do you have high cholesterol or triglycerides? Did you get the Covid mRNA shots and did you have the Covid infection?
You are too young to have these changes in my opinion. If I were you or you were my son, I would make sure to get a 2nd or 3rd opinion by a neurologist to review the MRI and get further testing of circulation/blood flow to and within brain. You may also want to see a cardiologist, vein/vascular specialist and nutritionist/dietitian. You may have small vessel disease and should investigate further. If you are dealing with anxiety and/or depression, you may also want to get a psychologist and psychiatrist for medication.
1. https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(19)30075-8/fulltext
2. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/23018-white-matter-disease
3. https://www.nature.com/articles/nrneurol.2015.10
4. https://psychscenehub.com/psychinsights/white-matter-hyperintensities-mri/
There are no treatments to reverse these ischemic changes in your brain. As my neurologist told me that you can't rotoroot your brain. I would recommend that you get a CAC test. The same mechanism that causes these changes in your brain are the ones that cause CAD. You can be proactive in managing this.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 Reaction@skipper79
I do think the white matter changes can represent damage of tissues if deprived of proper blood circulation, oxygen and nutrients.
Do you drink or do drugs? If so, you would want to stop as well as stop smoking/vaping due to toxins and vascular/nerve injury/oxygen deprivation to brain/heart/lungs/nervous system.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionI suggest a Neurologist to explain the test results and answer questions. I concur about stopping any drinking. I know friends who had severe neurological issues with Covid but recovered over time with medical support. We consult a Naturopath regarding diet. We attend fitness classes and walk daily. Focus on your overall health.
Could you explain CAC and CAD? I know MRI, CAT, PET but I am not familiar with those. Thanks!
CAC is coronary artery calcification. This is a measurement of calcium in the coronary arteries which is a measurement of CAD, coronary artery disease. The reason that coronary arteries get blocked can be the same as the small arteries in the brain which show up on brain MRI's as hyperintensities. The areas that show up indicate areas where there has been restricted blood flow or lacunar strokes. Many times these can be asymptomatic and innocuous, sometimes they manifest in a variety of symptoms depending on the region of the brain affected and the size of the area affected. I have both CAD and cerebral microvascular ischemia so have done a bit of research. Feel free to ask any questions.
Go to neurologist and ask your questions. Go over the MRI with the MD . Get a second opinion if you’re not satisfied . Pursue it!!