Carotid Atherosclerotic Disease and Risk Factors in Patients with Ischemic Stroke – Study Report –

Abstract

Abstract Ischemic stroke (IS) is the second frequent vascular disease after myocardial infarction, with different clinical and etiological aspects and various risk factors. Large vessel atherosclerotic disease is the most frequent IS causing pathology, followed by cerebral microangiopathy and cardioembolic events. Cervical arteries Doppler ultrasonography helps identifying the subtype of IS, and by revealing the vascular status of the patient, guides the therapeutic decision and secondary IS prevention. The aim of this paper is to present the results of an observational, retrospective, analytical study on a number of 174 patients with acute IS evaluated by Doppler carotid ultrasound in CVASIC Research Centre of Academic Emergency Hospital of Sibiu from January to December 2018. Materials and methods: All patients with IS admitted in our centre received a Doppler carotid ultrasound evaluation. We observed the degree of carotid stenosis, presence of atherosclerotic risk factors and their influence. Results: The mean age of patients was 71.3 years (36 to 92 years range). 16 (9.19%) patients presented occlusion of internal carotid artery (ICA) on the same side as stroke, 37 (21.26%) had severe carotid stenosis (>70%), 31 (17.81%) presented moderate stenosis (50-70%), the remaining patients had mild or no stenosis. 129 (74,13%) patients presented arterial hypertension, 51 (29.31%) patients had diabetes mellitus, 14 (8.04%) were smokers, 81 (46.56%) had dyslipidemia. Conclusions: A large number of patients had severe carotid stenosis and occlusion. The most common risk factor was arterial hypertension, followed by dyslipidemia and diabetes mellitus. Continuous medical education of population at risk regarding good nutrition principles and healthy lifestyle are needed to reduce the social costs of ischemic stroke.