Central nervous system disorders

V./4.3.: Risk factors

In certain conditions, ischemic stroke is more frequent; these are the risk factors of the disease. Risk factors include modifiable and nonmodifiable groups. Nonmodifiable risk factors are the following: age, gender (men above 45 years, women above 55 years of age), previous stroke, TIA, myocardial infarction, familiar stroke and left ventricle hypertrophy. Modifiable risk factors include the following: smoking, excessive alcohol intake, obesity, physical inactivity, high Na-content and the so-called „atherogen” diet, use of drug or anticoncipient.

Modifiable as treatable risk factors are hypertension, high cholesterol level (high LDL have to be treated, low HDL could not), diabetes and atrial fibrillation. Coronary artery disease, non-coronary atherosclerotic disease and cumulative risk factors are also high-risk conditions. Migraine headache and sleep apnoea should also be mentioned.

Some of the recently proved risk factors are: high triglyceride level, peripherial insulin resistance and disturbed carbonanhydrate metabolism, metabolic syndrome, proinflammatoric and prothrombotic states, high apolipoprotein B and homocystein level, decreased ankle-brachial index, increased velocity of spreading pulse-wave in arteries and thickened intima-media layer in the carotids.