The relationship of asymptomatic intracranial artery stenosis and Framingham stroke risk profile in a Northern Chinese industrial city.
BACKGROUND
Intracranial artery stenosis may be the most frequent cause of ischemic stroke in the world. Early detection of asymptomatic intracranial artery stenosis may allow for therapeutic intervention. Most elements of the Framingham stroke risk profile (FSRP) are also risk  factors for intracranial artery stenosis. Thus, the FSRP might play a role in detecting asymptomatic intracranial artery stenosis.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the relationship between the FSRP and asymptomatic intracranial artery stenosis.


METHODS
A sample of 5852 subjects  (age >40 years) was selected from the KaiLuan study. All participants received transcranial Doppler ultrasound examinations to detect the presence and quantify the severity of intracranial arterial stenosis. Demographic and clinical variables were investigated at the time of examination.  Binary logistic regression analyses was performed to determine the odds ratio of FSRP components to asymptomatic intracranial stenosis before and after adjusted for gender, body mass index (BMI), and total cholesterol (TC).


RESULTS
The subjects with intracranial artery stenosis  were older than those without (68·2 versus 64·9), and the systolic blood pressure was higher in those with intracranial artery stenosis (146·86 versus 136·39). Among intracranial artery stenosis subjects, 77·5% had hypertension, 26·1% had diabetes,  8·9% had left ventricular hypertrophy, and 4·8% had atrial fibrillation. Logistic regression analyses revealed that age, systolic blood pressure, diabetes, atrial fibrillation, and left ventricular hypertrophy were risk factors for intracranial artery stenosis. The incidence  of asymptomatic intracranial artery stenosis correlated with increasing FSRP scores. The odds ratios of intracranial artery stenosis from the lowest to the highest FSRP quartiles were as follows: 1 (reference group), 1·77 (95% CI: 1·23-2·56), 2·84 (95% CI:  2·02-3·98), 5·65 (95% CI: 4·03-7·93).


CONCLUSIONS
FSRP plays an important role in detecting asymptomatic intracranial artery stenosis.
Department of Neurology, Beijing Tian Tan Hospital, Capital Medical University, China.
Yaqing
Y
Zhang
Shouling
S
Wu
Zhaoxia
Z
Jia
Yong
Y
Zhou
Xiurong
X
Liu
Wenjuan
W
Wang
Tony
T
Wang
Liye
L
Wang
Shufeng
S
Zhang
Cheng
C
Jin
Xingquan
X
Zhao
D000368:Aged; D001158:Arteries / Q000473:pathology*; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002681:China; D003251:Constriction, Pathologic; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000209:etiology*; D017585:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Transcranial; D014504:Urban Health