title: The Lehigh Valley Recurrent Stroke Study: description of design and methods.
abstract: A community-based, prospective study was carried out in the Lehigh Valley to determine how 5 selected risk factors and their control affected the frequency of stroke recurrence and death after an initial stroke. The initial stroke was verified clinically and by computerized tomography. Between 1987 and 1989, 662 patients with an initial stroke were enrolled and followed regularly every 4-6 months for up to 7 visits. The average follow-up period was 2 years. The risk factors selected included hypertension, myocardial infarction, cardiac arrhythmia, diabetes mellitus and transient ischemic attacks. Interim death and its cause were noted. Surviving patients were interviewed and examined to determine whether a second stroke has occurred. At enrollment, 51.4% of the cohort was male. The average age of men was 69.6, while women were older, averaging 74.3 years. Stroke types were thrombosis, 14%; embolus, 23%; lacune, 9%; nonspecific infarct, 48%, and intracerebral hemorrhage, 6%. There were 138 deaths (21%) and 81 second strokes (12%) during follow-up. The frequency of risk factors at enrollment was as follows; hypertension, 59%; myocardial infarction, 25%, cardiac arrhythmia, 47% (of which 16% had atrial fibrillation); diabetes mellitus, 29%, and transient ischemic attack, 18%. Of course many patients had multiple risk factors. We analyzed whether the presence of a risk factor at enrollment and its quality of control during follow-up affected stroke recurrence frequency and the mortality rates. These results will be reported in future papers.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Division of Neuroepidemiology, Medical College of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alter
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Friday
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sobel
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Lai
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002423:Cause of Death; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010414:Pennsylvania / Q000453:epidemiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012008:Recurrence; D012107:Research Design; D012307:Risk Factors