Prevalence of carotid atherosclerosis among patients with ischemic stroke

Background: Hispanics have a greater incidence of stroke and prevalence of intracranial atherosclerosis than whites. Aim: To study the prevalence of e xtracranial atherosclerosis among patients admitted to a hospital with an i schemic stroke. Materials and methods: A prospective study in stroke patien ts admitted to a Neurology ward in a University Hospital. All were subjecte d to a CT scan, carotid duplex-Doppler ultrasonographic examination with Do ppler measurement of blood flow velocity, permeability and plaques. Cardiac emboli were searched with transthoracic and transesophagic echocardiograph y. Results: One hundred ten patients (39 women), aged 67.5+/-11.4 years old were studied. Stroke was atherothrombotic in 46 (41.8%), embolic in 30 (27 .3%), lacunar in 27 (24.6%) and of other type in 7 (6.4%). Ninety two patie nts (84.4%) had high blood pressure, 38% had high cholesterol levels, 35% h ad a cardiac disease and 26% were smokers. Thirty five subjects (31.8%) had a normal carotid ultrasonography, 46 (41.8%) had mural plaques, 16 (14.5%) had multiple plaques without occlusion, 13 (11.8%) had a partial occlusion and 7 (6.4%) had a total occlusion. Logistic regression analysis disclosed no significant relationship between stroke types and carotid atheroscleros is. Age was the only significant relationship between stroke types and caro tid atherosclerosis. Age was the only significant predictor for carotid ath erosclerosis. Conclusions: The prevalence of severe carotid atherosclerosis in this group of stroke patients was less than expected.