Newly Detected Vascular Risk Factors Common in Stroke Patients

THURSDAY, June 30, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- In a cohort of patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS), two-thirds of patients with no previously diagnosed risk factors had at least one newly detected major vascular risk factor, according to a study presented at the annual Congress of the European Academy of Neurology, held from June 25 to 28 in Vienna.

André Rêgo, M.D., from the Centre Vaudois in Lausanne, Switzerland, and colleagues conducted a retrospective analysis from the ASTRAL Registry from 2003 to 2018 to examine demographic, clinical, therapeutic, and prognostic variables among patients with AIS. Data were analyzed for 4,354 patients.

The researchers found that 30.3 and 67.7 percent of 1,125 participants had no major vascular risk factors and had at least one previously undiagnosed major vascular risk factor, respectively. Dyslipidemia, hypertension, atrial fibrillation, diabetes mellitus, ejection fraction <35 percent, and coronary disease were newly detected major vascular risk factors (seen in 61.4, 23.7, 10.2, 5.2, 2.0, and 1.0 percent of patients, respectively). Positive associations with previously undiagnosed major vascular risk factors were seen for lower age, non-Caucasian ethnicity, patent foramen ovale, contraceptive use (in those younger than 55), and smoking (in those 55 and older) in multivariate analysis.

"Prior to our study there was scarce clinical information about the frequency, patient profile, and stroke mechanisms in patients with acute ischemic stroke with previously undiagnosed major vascular risk factors," Rêgo said in a statement. "We hope that this study will help to identify potential stroke patients that require more intensive prevention techniques and surveillance in the future."

Abstract No. EPO-261

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