Introduction to the Stroke Compendium

Abstract

The field of cerebrovascular disease encompasses a broad range of disorders that range from ischemic stroke to hemorrhagic stroke to vascular cognitive impairment and the interactions between the heart and brain. Physicians, allied health professionals, and basic scientists from many different disciplines and backgrounds are interested in cerebrovascular disorders and contribute to the efforts to more fully understand the basic pathophysiology of cerebrovascular diseases, improve patient care, and develop novel therapies that will reduce the burden of these ubiquitous medical conditions. In designing this compendium for the readers of Circulation Research , the primary focus was on ischemic stroke, but it also includes articles related to the interaction between the heart and the brain, as well as the increasingly important area of vascular cognitive impairment. An impressive array of contributors agreed to participate, and we are truly honored to have articles by acknowledged thought leaders for each of the 10 topics covered by the compendium. We do acknowledge that the important areas of primary intracerebral hemorrhage and subarachnoid hemorrhage could not be discussed, but these topics should be considered for a future compendium. Regarding the ischemic stroke field, the global burden of ischemic stroke is covered by Dr Feigin,1 with updated information about the incidence …