Volumetric Evaluation of Brain Grey Matter in Asthmatic Patients using Magnetic Resonance Imaging: A Case-control Study

Abstract

Introduction: Asthma is a serious disease that affects not only the respiratory system but also the brain by decreasing oxygen saturation. Despite the numerous neuroimaging studies that have shed light on the effect of asthma on brain volume, there is still a need for new studies to evaluate brain volume in asthmatic patients. Aim: To evaluate the Grey Matter Volume (GMV) of the brain in asthmatic patients using Magnetic Resonance Imaging images (MRI) to detect possible changes. Materials and Methods: This is an observational analytic casecontrol study carried out at Al Amal Hospital in Khartoum State, Sudan, between January 2020 and October 2022. The study included 100 adult participants (50 asthmatic patients and 50 healthy controls) using MRI and automatic brain segmentation through a software program (BrainSuite). Data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software, version 25.0 (IBM SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL), and Microsoft Excel 2013. An independent sample T-test was used to compare the mean of the measurements between controls and asthmatics. Frequencies, means, and standard deviations were taken. A p-value of 0.05 or less was accepted as statistically significant. Results: Out of all participants, 50 were asthmatics and 50 were controls. The mean age of asthmatics was (31±8.53) years and of controls was 32±8.49 years. The mean Grey Matter Volume (GMV) of the asthmatic patients was 575.93 cm3 ±71.46 SD and of controls was 569.55 cm3 ±73.77 SD. There were no statistically significant differences between the groups depending on the GMV of asthmatic and control participants (p>0.05). The mean GMV in asthmatic males was 355.50 cm3 ±53.26 SD and in females 321.65 cm3 ±32.72 SD, while in control males it was 367.63 cm3 ±45.77 SD and in females 318.03 cm3 ±34.16 SD. GMV showed significant statistical differences between asthmatic males and females (p<0.05). Conclusion: There were no statistically significant differences between the groups depending on the GMV of asthmatic and control participants (p>0.05). Asthma disease does not result in noticeable changes in GMV in either male or female brains.