Cardiac Disorders in Patients with Ischemic Stroke

Abstract

INTRODUCTION Worldwide cardioembolic strokes account for one third of non-lacunar strokes and almost half of all risk factors of ischemic stroke in Nepal. This study was done to describe the types of cardiac disorders and their associations with younger and older patients with ischemic stroke. MATERIAL AND METHODS In this prospective observational study, data were collected by convenience sampling and analyzed by the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 26. Cardiac disorders were divided into rhythm disturbances and structural disorders. Patients were divided into younger (≤ 50 years) and older (> 50 years) patients based on standard definition. The associations were analyzed by using Chi-square test. Other data were expressed as frequencies and percentages. RESULTS Of 145 patients were included, cardiac disorders were present in 88.3%. Cardiac structural disorders were present in 86.2% out of which the commonest were left ventricular hypertrophy (26.2%), left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (23.4%) and mitral stenosis (13.8%). Cardiac rhythm abnormalities were present in 42.1% and atrial fibrillation (17.2%), atrial ectopics (14.5%) and ventricular ectopics (4.8%) were the commonest. When considered in total, there was no statistically significant differences in the distribution of these disorders between young and old patients. However, mitral stenosis was strongly associated with young patients (p=0.001). Atrial fibrillation and older patients were also significantly associated (p=0.04). CONCLUSION Though common, cardiac disorders in total were not significantly associated with young and older patients with ischemic stroke; however, mitral stenosis was significantly associated with young patients and atrial fibrillation with older patients.