Coronary artery disease is not associated with stroke recurrence.
BACKGROUND
Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a leading cause of long-term mortality in Europe and it negatively influences the outcome after stroke. However, its influence on stroke recurrence which endangers stroke patients mostly in the first months following stroke, is unclear. Previous studies have found no association between CAD and ischemic stroke recurrence. However, assessment of the relationship was not the primary endpoint of these investigations. The aim of this study was to assess the possible association between CAD and stroke recurrence.


METHODS
In a hospital-based, retrospective study, the set consisted of 190 patients - 105 patients with a first ever stroke (48 males; age 37-88, mean 70.7±12.5 years) and 85 patients with stroke recurrence (36 males; age 46-94, mean 88.0±9.6 years). CAD was correlated with the following other risk factors (age, sex, occurrence of arterial hypertension, atrial fibrillation, diabetes mellitus, plasma levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density cholesterol, high-density cholesterol, body mass index, presence of carotid plaques). Logistic regression analysis was used for the statistical evaluation.


RESULTS
No significant association was found between CAD and stroke recurrence. Of all of the other observed risk factors, only age showed a significant association with stroke recurrence (OR 1.04, 95% CI: 1.02-1.07).


CONCLUSIONS
The results of the presented study indicate that CAD does not influence stroke recurrence.
Department of Neurology, Central Military Hospital, Ružomberok, Slovak Republic. michal22kovacik@gmail.com
Michal
M
Kováčik
Štefan
Š
Madarász
Michal
M
Král
Tomáš
T
Veverka
Roman
R
Herzig
Petr
P
Kaňovský
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000453:epidemiology*