Arterial stiffness is associated with intracranial large artery disease among ethnic Chinese and South Asian ischemic stroke patients.
OBJECTIVE
Intracranial large artery disease (ICLAD) is a common stroke subtype that carries a poor prognosis. We studied the association of arterial stiffness, a recognized risk factor for atherosclerosis and ICLAD among ethnic Chinese and South Asian ischemic stroke patients.


METHODS
In this prospective study, we recruited consecutive ischemic stroke patients of Chinese and South Asian ethnicity. ICLAD was assessed by transcranial color-coded Doppler or magnetic resonance angiographic studies. Arterial stiffness was measured by carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cPWV).


RESULTS
Among the 268 patients studied, the prevalence of ICLAD was 54% and median cPWV was 11.4 m/s (interquartile range 9.0-13.6 m/s). Patients with ICLAD had higher cPWV compared with those without (median 11.7 vs. 11.0 m/s, P = 0.015). In multivariate analysis, patients with ICLAD were significantly more likely to have cPWV measurements in the highest quintile (>14.1 m/s) compared with patients without ICLAD independently of other covariates [odds ratio 2.21, P = 0.038].


CONCLUSIONS
This study revealed a novel association between arterial stiffness and ICLAD among ischemic stroke patients. The findings suggest that arterial stiffness may be involved in the pathophysiology of ICLAD. Future studies should investigate the effects of reducing arterial stiffness among stroke patients with ICLAD.
Singapore General Hospital Campus, National Neuroscience Institute, Singapore City, Singapore. gnrdsd@sgh.com.sg
Deidre A
DA
De Silva
Fung-Peng
FP
Woon
Hui-Yee
HY
Gan
Christopher P
CP
Chen
Hui-Meng
HM
Chang
Tian-Hai
TH
Koh
Bronwyn A
BA
Kingwell
James D
JD
Cameron
Meng-Cheong
MC
Wong
D000368:Aged; D001158:Arteries / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000473:pathology*; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D020521:Stroke / Q000473:pathology*; D014652:Vascular Diseases / Q000473:pathology*