title: The cardiovascular status of the black stroke patient.
abstract: The cardiac status of 102 consecutive black stroke patients entered to the Medunsa Stroke Databank was determined. Cardiological examination, echocardiography and a gated blood pool scan revealed structural and/or functional cardiac abnormalities in 73.6% of patients. Rheumatic heart disease was diagnosed in 15.6%, mitral valve prolapse in 5.8% and mitral annulus calcification in 4.9% of cases. 'Possible' cardiac sources of cerebral embolism were detected in 22.5% and 'definite' sources in 23.5% of patients. Hypertensive heart disease was diagnosed in 35.2% and cardiomyopathy in 13.7% of the study population. Ischaemic heart disease was present in 6.86%. Ultrasonography revealed ventricular bands in 29.4% of patients. The high incidence of structural cardiac abnormalities detected by non-invasive means is in keeping with recent studies in white stroke patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Medical University of Southern Africa, Pretoria.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Joubert
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: van Gelder
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Darazs
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Pilloy
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000150:complications; D044383:Black People; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000150:complications; D004452:Echocardiography; D004562:Electrocardiography; D004617:Embolism / Q000150:complications; D004697:Endocarditis, Bacterial / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008945:Mitral Valve Prolapse / Q000150:complications; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012214:Rheumatic Heart Disease / Q000150:complications; D013019:South Africa