Ischemic brain lesion

Focal abnormality or damage (Latin laesio - injury) to brain tissue owing to a restriction in blood supply (Greek ισχαιμία - restriction, αίμα - blood) and a resulting deficit of oxygen

Description
Ischemic conditions may occur as a result of disease or injury, mostly of blood vessels. Ischemic brain lesions are common as a result of hemoglobinopathies, where abnormal erythrocytes cause occlusion of blood vessels. In consequence, sickle cell disease is marked by widespread tissue ischemia and infarction (a macroscopic ischemic lesion), and a significant proportion of thalassemia major patients (approximately 20%) with inadequate medication and treatment suffer neurologic deficits (such as impairments of cognitive function) linked to brain lesions, which are detectable by MRI. Moreover, MRI studies have shown that patients with sickle cell disease and thalassemia suffer a high frequency of silent (asymptomatic) brain lesions.