title: Chronobiological patterns of onset of acute cerebrovascular diseases.
abstract: There is a considerable amount of data indicating that several major unfavorable cerebrovascular events are not randomly distributed over time, but show a peculiar distribution along the day, the week, and the months of the year. The authors review the available evidence on the chronobiological (circadian, weekly, and seasonal) patterns of onset of acute cerebrovascular diseases and variations in their possible triggering mechanisms. The existence of a peculiar chronobiological pattern in the onset of acute cerebrovascular disease, characterized by both circadian (morning and evening occurrence), circaseptan (last and first days of the week), and circannual (especially in winter) is confirmed, although differences depending on biological (gender, age), pathological (diabetes, hypertension, smoke, alcohol), cultural, social, and environmental factors exist. A deeper knowledge of the underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms could provide more effective insights for both preventive strategies and optimization of therapeutic approach.
authors.affiliation: First Institute of Internal Medicine, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Ferrara, Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Manfredini
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gallerani
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Portaluppi
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Salmi
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fersini
mesh_terms: D017668:Age of Onset; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000503:physiopathology; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000503:physiopathology; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002909:Chronobiology Phenomena; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D010507:Periodicity; D012621:Seasons