Internal Medicine
Online ISSN : 1349-7235
Print ISSN : 0918-2918
ISSN-L : 0918-2918
ORIGINAL ARTICLES
Silent Cerebral Infarction is Associated with Incident Stroke and TIA Independent of Carotid Intima-Media Thickness
Kaori MiwaTaku HoshiHidetaka HougakuMakiko TanakaShigetaka FurukadoYuko AbeShuhei OkazakiManabu SakaguchiSaburo SakodaKazuo Kitagawa
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JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS

2010 Volume 49 Issue 9 Pages 817-822

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Abstract

Background Both silent cerebral infarction (SCI) and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) are associated with future stroke. We evaluated whether SCI could be a predictor for incident stroke independent of carotid IMT in high-risk patients.
Methods We performed a prospective cohort study among 282 outpatients who had one or more atherosclerotic risk factors but without a history of cardiovascular disease. We conducted cranial MRI and measured carotid IMT at baseline, and then evaluated the risks of incident stroke and transient ischemic attacks (TIA) using Cox proportional hazards models.
Results SCI was present in 67 patients (23.7%) at baseline. During 4.1 years of follow-up, stroke and TIA occurred in 8 patients (2.8%). The incidence of stroke/TIA was 22.3 per 1,000 person-years in those with SCI compared with 2.2 per 1,000 person-years in those without SCI. Both SCI and carotid IMT at baseline were associated with incident stroke/TIA events after adjustment for age, sex, and traditional vascular risk factors. The predictive value of SCI remained significant even after adjustment for carotid IMT (HR 8.56; 1.72-42.55).
Conclusion SCI, similar to carotid IMT, is an independent predictor of stroke and TIA in high-risk patients.

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© 2010 by The Japanese Society of Internal Medicine
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