title: Stroke and pineal gland calcification: lack of association. Results from a population-based study (The Atahualpa Project).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  It has been suggested that pineal gland calcifications (PGC) represent a risk factor for stroke; however, information comes from a single retrospective hospital-based registry. We aimed to validate this association in a population-based study conducted in rural Ecuador.
  
  
  METHODS
  Atahualpa residents aged ≥60 years were identified during a door-to-door survey and invited to undergo neuroimaging studies (CT/MRI) for identification and rating PGC and lesions consistent with cerebral infarcts and hemorrhages. Cardiovascular health (CVH) status was assessed according to the American Heart Association criteria, and clinical strokes were identified by the use of a validated field instrument and confirmed by neurologists.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of 248 participants (mean age 70±8 years, 59% women, 73% with poor CVH), 137 (55%) had PGC and 39 (16%) had strokes (silent in 28 cases). PGC were noted in 61% versus 54% persons with and without stroke, respectively. After adjusting for age, sex and cardiovascular health, logistic and ordinal logistic regression models showed no association between any evidence (p=0.916) or severity (p=0.740) of PGC and stroke.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PGC is not associated with stroke in this population of community-dwelling elders, where prevalence of PGC and stroke are similar to those found in other regions.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Universidad Espíritu Santo - Ecuador, Guayaquil, Ecuador; Department of Neurology, Hospital-Clínica Kennedy, Guayaquil, Ecuador. Electronic address: oscardelbrutto@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Oscar H
authors.initials: OH
authors.lastname: Del Brutto
authors.affiliation: Gastroenterology Department, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, USA.
authors.forename: Robertino M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Mera
authors.affiliation: Department of Imaging, Hospital-Clínica Kennedy, Guayaquil, Ecuador.
authors.forename: Julio
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lama
authors.affiliation: Community Center, The Atahualpa Project, Atahualpa, Ecuador.
authors.forename: Mauricio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zambrano
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D004484:Ecuador; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010870:Pineal Gland / Q000473:pathology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000473:pathology*; D061205:Vascular Calcification / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology
keywords: Cerebral infarction; Pineal gland; Pineal gland calcification; Population-based study; Stroke