u POSTSTROKE
DEMENTIA
EUROPEAN COMMUNITY PROJECT FLORENCE STROKE REGISTRY
Of the 635 patients with stroke admitted to two general
hospitals in the area of Florence, Italy, from October 1, 1993 to September 30, 1994, 339
patients were assessed for poststroke dementia at 1 year.
57 patients (16.8%) were diagnosed as newly demented.
Age, atrial fibrillation and the severity of stroke predict poststroke dementia.
The observation that atrial fibrillation is a determinant of poststroke dementia stresses
the importance of using oral anticoagulants for stroke prevention in patients with atrial
fibrillation.
[Inzitari D et al., Stroke 1998; 29: 2087-2093]
u SICKLE-CELL
DISEASE: THE MOST COMMON CAUSE OF ISCHEMIC STROKE IN CHILDHOOD
Baltimore-Washington Cooperative Young Stroke Study
The Baltimore-Washington Cooperative Young Stroke Study is
the largest study to examine the etiology of strokes in children.
Eighteen children with ischemic infarction and 17 with intracerebral hemorrhage were
identified in the years 1988 and 1991.
The most common causes of ischemic stroke were:
- sickle-cell disease (39%)
- vasculopathic causes(33%)
- Intracerebral hemorrhages
The most common causes intracerebral hemorrhages were:
- arteriovenous malformation (29%)
- hematologic causes (23%)
- vasculopathy (18%)
- surgical complication (12%)
- coagulopathy (6%)
The overall incidence for childhood stroke was 1.29 per
100,000 per year
u SIGNIFICANT
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AND STROKE MORTALITY
In a prospective study, 6676 initially stroke-free adults
from Alameda County, California (USA) were assessed by the 18-item Human Population
Laboratory Depression Scale for depressive symptoms.
A total of 169 stroke deaths occurred during 29 years of follow-up.
An association between reporting 5 or more depressive symptoms at baseline and increased
risk of stroke mortality was seen (after adjustments: hazard ratio, 1.54; 95% confidence
interval, 1.06-2.22; p<0.02).
[Everson SA et al, Arch Intern Med 1998; 158:1133-1138]
NEUROLOGY
