title: A comparison of risk factors and prognosis between intra and extracranial acute atherosclerotic stroke in the Turkish population: a prospective study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study was to compare the differences in risk factors and prognosis between acute stroke caused by definitive intracranial atherosclerosis (ICAS) or extracranial atherosclerosis (ECAS) in the Turkısh population.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was prospectively designed in a single centre and conducted with patients who were hospitalised due to acute ischaemic stroke. Inclusion criteria were the diagnosis of atherosclerotic ischaemic stroke, defined as more than 50% stenosis or occlusion in the arterial structure supplying the ischaemic area, having excluded other possible causes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Information on 58 ICAS and 57 ECAS stroke patients was collected in a 13-month period. The ECAS patients had male gender predominance (p = 0.003). Ageing, stroke history and hyperlipidaemia were related with stroke severity in ECAS, and gender was associated with severity in ICAS. Hypertension and being female were related with poor prognosis in ICAS (p = 0.081 vs. 0.087). Congestive heart failure (p = 0.002) was associated with poor prognosis and alcohol with a favourable outcome (p = 0.087) in ECAS. Stroke severity was related with poor prognosis in both groups (p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of risk factors differs between ICAS and ECAS, and their influence differs for stroke severity and prognosis.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Neurology , Agri State Hospital , Agri , Turkey.
authors.forename: Sezgin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Keheya
authors.affiliation: b Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine , Trakya University , Edirne , Turkey.
authors.forename: Aslan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tekatas
authors.affiliation: c Department of Neurology , Sivas State Hospital , Sivas , Turkey.
authors.forename: Özer
authors.initials: Ö
authors.lastname: Aynacı
authors.affiliation: b Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine , Trakya University , Edirne , Turkey.
authors.forename: Ufuk
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Utku
authors.affiliation: b Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine , Trakya University , Edirne , Turkey.
authors.forename: Volkan
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Solmaz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D059906:Neuroimaging; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D020521:Stroke / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Intracranial and extracranial atherosclerosis; Prognosis; Stroke risk factors; Stroke severity