Risk factors associated with ischaemic stroke in Guadeloupe

We carried out a case control study at the University Hospital of Pointe-a- Pitre, Guadeloupe, during eight months. Seventy patients with ischaemic str oke and seventy age- and sex-matched controls were involved A standard ques tionnaire reported clinical characteristics and medical history. Seventy-si x per cent of patients suffered from hypertension. Obesity and diabetes wer e more frequent in the case group than in the control group. Serum creatini ne concentration (86 vs 74,mu mol/l; p < 0.001), total cholesterol (5.9 vs 5.2 mmol/l; p < 0.001), apolipoprotein B (1.2 vs 1.0 g/l; p < 0.001) and li poprotein (a) (82 vs 48 mg/dl; p < 0.001) were significantly higher in pati ents than controls. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that in addition to serum creatinine, serum apolipoprotein B, hypertension, obesity , serum lipoprotein (a) and diabetes mellitus were associated independently and significantly with ischaemic stroke, These findings have implications for clinical practice and further research particularly with respect to ser um creatinine concentration as a marker of renal damage from hypertension a nd as a risk factor itself for cerebrovascular disease.