Increased frequency of cardioembolism and patent foramen ovale in patients with stroke and a positive travel history suggesting economy class stroke syndrome.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the frequency of acute stroke in patients with a recent travel history and to analyse risk factors, stroke patterns and presence of a patent foramen ovale (PFO) in this patient group.


METHODS
One-year prospective observational study.


METHODS
Single-centre study.


METHODS
Enrolling all patients presenting with a first cerebral ischaemia and complementing the usual history with a standardised travel history.


RESULTS
Of 338 patients with acute stroke, 42 had a positive travel history (PTH) (12.4%). Patients with a PTH were significantly younger (56.6 (SD 13) years) than patients (66.9 (13.2) years, p = 0.0001) with a negative travel history (NTH). Frequency of PFO in the PTH group (13; 44.8%) was significantly higher than in the NTH group (7; 10.8%) (p = 0.0001), even after patients were dichotomised into two age groups (younger and older than median of all


METHODS
31% v 6.1%, p = 0.007 and 13.8% v 4.6%, p = 0.022, respectively). PTH patients had fewer stroke risk factors (2.2 (1.4) v 3.3 (1.6), p = 0.0001) and a different risk profile with a lower frequency of diabetes (11.9% v 31.4%, p = 0.009), hypertension (52.4% v 78.7%, p = 0.0001), atrial fibrillation (7.1% v 22%, p = 0.025) and others (16.7% v 38.9%, p = 0.005). In contrast, PTH patients had significantly more cardioembolic (35.7% v 19.3%, p = 0.023) and cryptogenic strokes (50% v 19.9%, p = 0.0001) and more often ischaemia in the territory of the posterior cerebral artery (29.6% v 6.3%, p = 0.0001).


CONCLUSIONS
The finding that more PTH patients had a PFO and a cardioembolic stroke pattern but that fewer had other typical stroke risk factors led to the hypothesis that PFO is a risk factor for economy class stroke syndrome.
Heckmann
J G
JG
Department of Neurology, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany. josef.heckmann@neuro.imed.uni-erlangen.de
Stadter
M
M
Reulbach
U
U
Duetsch
M
M
Nixdorff
U
U
Ringwald
J
J
D000368:Aged; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000209:etiology*; D004617:Embolism / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006344:Heart Septal Defects, Atrial / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000209:etiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014195:Travel