title: Distribution of ischemic infarction and stenosis of intra- and extracranial arteries in young Chinese patients with ischemic stroke.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The distribution of cerebral ischemic infarction and stenosis in ischemic stroke may vary with age-group, race and gender. This study was conducted to understand the risk factors and characteristics of cerebral infarction and stenosis of vessels in young Chinese patients with ischemic stroke.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a retrospective study, from January 2007 to July 2012, of 123 patients ≤50 years diagnosed with acute ischemic stroke. Patient characteristics were compared according to sex (98 males and 25 females) and age group (51 patients were ≤45 years and 72 patients were 46-50 years). Characteristics of acute ischemic infarction were studied by diffusion weighted imaging. Stenosis of intra- and extracranial arteries was diagnosed by duplex sonography, head magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) or cervical MRA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Common risk factors were hypertension (72.4 %), dyslipidemia (55.3 %), smoking (54.4 %) and diabetes (33.3 %). Lacunar Infarction was most common in our patients (41.5 %). Partial anterior circulation infarction was predominant in females (52.0 vs 32.7 %; P = 0.073) and posterior circulation infarction in males (19.8 vs 4 %; P = 0.073). Multiple brain infarctions were found in 38 patients (30.9 %). Small artery atherosclerosis was found in 54 patients (43.9 %), with higher prevalence in patients of the 46-50 years age-group. Intracranial stenosis was more common than extracranial stenosis, and middle cerebral artery stenosis was most prevalent (27.3 %). Stenosis in the anterior circulation was more frequent than in the posterior circulation (P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In these young patients, hypertension, smoking, dyslipidemia and diabetes were common risk factors. Intracranial stenosis was most common. The middle cerebral artery was highly vulnerable.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, East Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China. rajeevnet@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Rajeev
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ojha
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, East Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China. dyhuang77@sina.com.
authors.forename: Dongya
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, East Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China. feihe_cn@yahoo.com.cn.
authors.forename: Hedi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: An
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, East Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China. 79308814@qq.com.
authors.forename: Rong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, East Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China. 253464977@qq.com.
authors.forename: Cui
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Du
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, East Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China. 114644918@qq.com.
authors.forename: Nan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, East Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China. 564511281@qq.com.
authors.forename: Zhilan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Tu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, East Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China. liying135858@yahoo.com.cn.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D044466:Asian People; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology*; D002533:Cerebral Angiography / Q000379:methods; D002539:Cerebral Arterial Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology*; D002536:Cerebral Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D003251:Constriction, Pathologic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020244:Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000208:ethnology; D020521:Stroke / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology*; D018616:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Duplex; D017585:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Transcranial / Q000379:methods; D055815:Young Adult