Faculty Bibliography

In a prospective study of 2,384 persons, mean age 81 years, at 44-month follow-up, new thromboembolic stroke developed in 510 of 2,384 persons (21%). The Cox regression model showed that significant independent risk factors for new thromboembolic stroke were atrial fibrillation (risk ratio 3.2), left ventricular hypertrophy (risk ratio 2.8), prior stroke (risk ratio 2.2), and male gender (risk ratio 1.2)

In a prospective study of 312 older patients with chronic atrial fibrillation, at 36-month follow-up evaluation, new thromboembolic stroke developed in 162 of 312 patients (52%). Significant independent risk factors for new thromboembolic stroke were prior stroke (risk ratio = 1.6), rheumatic mitral stenosis (risk ratio = 2.0), left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy (risk ratio = 2.8), abnormal LV ejection fraction (risk ratio = 1.8), serum total cholesterol (risk ratio = 1.005), and serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (risk ratio = 0.96)

We investigated in a prospective study of 2,148 persons (mean age 81 years), the association between mitral annular calcium and new thromboembolic stroke at 44-month follow-up. Independent risk factors for new thromboembolic stroke were prior stroke (risk ratio 2.4), mitral annular calcium (risk ratio 2.6), atrial fibrillation (risk ratio 3.0), and male gender (risk ratio 1.6)

In older hypertensive persons, male gender, prior coronary artery disease, prior atherothrombotic brain infarction (ABI), and echocardiographic left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy are independent risk factors for new coronary events; age, prior ABI, and echocardiographic LV hypertrophy are independent risk factors for new ABI. The data suggest that high plasma renin activity in hypertensive older persons is associated with a high risk of new coronary events and of new ABI through its association with echocardiographic LV hypertrophy

Comparison of 239 older patients with 40% to 100% extracranial carotid arterial disease (ECAD) with 1,243 older patients with no significant ECAD showed a higher prevalence of systemic hypertension, left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy, and prior atherothrombotic brain infarction (ABI) and a higher incidence of new ABI in patients with ECAD than in patients without ECAD. A multivariate Cox regression model showed that independent predictors of new ABI were ECAD (risk ratio = 2.5), systemic hypertension (risk ratio = 2.3), prior ABI (risk ratio = 2.3), LV hypertrophy (risk ratio = 2.3), and male sex (risk ratio = 1.3)