Stroke: epidemiology, clinical picture, and risk factors - Part I of III

The aim of this review is to present the current knowledge regarding stroke . It will appear in three parts (in part II the pathogenesis, investigation s, and prognosis will be presented, while part III will consist of the mana gement and rehabilitation). In the current part (I) the definitions of the clinical picture are presented. These include: amaurosis fugax, vertebrobas ilar transient ischemic attack, and stroke (with good recovery, in evolutio n and complete). The role of the following risk factors is discussed in det ail: age, gender, ethnicity, heredity, hypertension, cigarette smoking, hyp erlipidemia, diabetes mellitus, obesity, fibrinogen and clotting factors, o ral contraceptives, erythrocytosis and hematocrit level, prior cerebrovascu lar and other diseases, physical inactivity, diet and alcohol consumption, illicit drug use, and genetic predisposition. In particular, regarding the carotid arteries, the following characteristics are analyzed: atheroma, car otid plaque echomorphology, carotid stenosis, presence of ulcer, local vari ations in surface deformability, pathological characteristics, and dissecti on. Finally the significance of the cerebral collateral circulation and the conditions predisposing to cardioembolism and to cerebral hemorrhage are p resented.