Prevalenza di cambiamenti cerebrovascolari occulti nella schizofrenia: una revisione sistematica e meta-analisi.

BACKGROUND: Covert cerebrovascular changes, particularly cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) and silent brain infarction (SBI), may contribute to neurobiological vulnerability in schizophrenia but remain underrecognized. This meta-analysis aimed to estimate their prevalence and identify associated demographic and clinical factors. METHODS: Systematic searches of international and Chinese databases (through December 2024) were conducted to identify studies reporting CSVD and SBI prevalence in schizophrenia. Pooled prevalence estimates, sensitivity analyses, subgroup analyses, and meta-regressions were performed. RESULTS: From 6371 records, 124 studies (11,611 patients) were included. Poole