[Heart disease and stroke].
BACKGROUND
Heart diseases and stroke are the most important causes of death and disability in the Western world. This article gives a review of the relationship between heart diseases and stroke, and gives advice for clinical management of patients with a suspected cardioembolic stroke.


METHODS
The article is based on books and articles found through a search in Medline.


CONCLUSIONS
Most cases of heart disease and stroke are caused by atherosclerosis, and the two diseases have much in common with regards to risk factors, treatment and prognosis. Heart disease may also be a direct cause of stroke. About one in four cerebral infarctions are due to embolism from the heart to the brain, mainly because of atrial fibrillation, but also because of diseases such as acute myocardial infarction, dilated cardiomyopathy and prosthetic heart valves (cardioembolic stroke). Stroke can also be caused by a cardiogenic fall in blood pressure in patients with stenoses in pre- or intracerebral arteries (haemodynamic stroke). Patients with symptoms of atherosclerosis in one artery system should be treated as if they have a high risk of developing symptoms from other artery systems. The possibility of a cardiac embolic source should always be considered in patients with acute brain infarctions.
Berge
Eivind
E
Medisinsk divisjon, Ullevål universitetssykehus, 0407 Oslo. eivind.berge@medisin.uio.no
Dahl
Trond
T
D000368:Aged; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000209:etiology*; D013923:Thromboembolism / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology