Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 16, 2026

Performing Permanent Distal Middle Cerebral with Common Carotid Artery Occlusion in Aged Rats to Study Cortical Ischemia with Sustained Disability
09:11

Performing Permanent Distal Middle Cerebral with Common Carotid Artery Occlusion in Aged Rats to Study Cortical Ischemia with Sustained Disability

Published on: February 23, 2016

Risk factors for ischemic stroke in older persons in an academic hospital based geriatrics practice

J Ness1, W S Aronow, C Ahn

  • 1Department of Geriatrics and Adult Development, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY.

Preventive Cardiology
|February 9, 2002
PubMed

Insights

Older adults face significant risks for ischemic stroke. Key factors include age, hypertension, diabetes, and cholesterol levels, with smoking also a risk for women.

Area of Science:

  • Gerontology
  • Neurology
  • Cardiovascular Medicine

Background:

  • Ischemic stroke is a leading cause of disability and mortality in older populations.
  • Understanding sex-specific risk factors is crucial for targeted prevention strategies in geriatrics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify and compare independent risk factors for ischemic stroke in elderly men and women.
  • To analyze the association of demographic, clinical, and biochemical factors with ischemic stroke incidence.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective chart analysis of 467 men and 1444 women aged 80±8 and 81±8 years, respectively.
  • Stepwise logistic regression was employed to determine significant independent risk factors.
  • Data included age, smoking status, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and serum lipid profiles.

Main Results:

  • Ischemic stroke prevalence was higher in men (27%) than women (20%).
  • Common risk factors for both sexes: age, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.
  • Cigarette smoking and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were significant risk factors specifically in women.

Conclusions:

  • Age, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and LDL cholesterol are critical risk factors for ischemic stroke in both elderly men and women.
  • Cigarette smoking and HDL cholesterol levels present unique risk profiles for women, necessitating tailored interventions.

More Related Videos

Assessment of Dependence in Activities of Daily Living Among Older Patients in an Acute Care Unit06:52

Assessment of Dependence in Activities of Daily Living Among Older Patients in an Acute Care Unit

Published on: September 30, 2020

Transient Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion Model of Stroke05:32

Transient Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion Model of Stroke

Published on: August 11, 2023

Related Concept Videos

Drug Dosing: Geriatric Patients01:15

Drug Dosing: Geriatric Patients

Elderly individuals encompass a diverse population with varying degrees of age-related physiological changes. Defining the elderly presents challenges, as the geriatric population is often arbitrarily categorized as individuals older than 65. However, many individuals in this group lead active and healthy lives, with an increasing number surpassing 85 years and falling into the older elderly category. Physiological changes associated with aging impact performance capacity and homeostatic...
Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Metabolism01:18

Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Metabolism

Geriatric patients show significant variation in how their bodies process medications, which can change how effective and safe treatments are. The liver is the primary organ where drug metabolism occurs, involving two main types of chemical reactions: phase I and II. Phase I metabolism is driven by the cytochrome P450 enzyme system, which includes key types such as CYP3A, CYP2D6, and CYP2C9. Research indicates that while aging doesn't notably alter the levels or activity of these enzymes, it...
Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Excretion01:18

Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Excretion

In geriatric patients, renal physiology undergoes significant changes, including diminished renal blood flow and a lower glomerular filtration rate (GFR), leading to alterations in medication clearance. Drugs such as aminoglycoside antibiotics, lithium, and digoxin, which rely on glomerular filtration for removal from the body, particularly impact pharmacokinetics. These drugs tend to have slower clearance rates in older adults, necessitating careful dosage considerations.Evaluation of renal...
Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age01:27

Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age

Age-related pharmacokinetic changes are extensively documented, but understanding age-related pharmacodynamic alterations is relatively limited. This knowledge gap can be partly attributed to the complexity of developing appropriate measures of drug responses compared to bioanalytical methods for determining drug concentrations.Most information regarding age-related differences in human pharmacodynamics originates from cross-sectional studies. However, these studies assume that observed mean...
Ischemic Stroke l: Introduction01:15

Ischemic Stroke l: Introduction

Ischemic stroke is an acute cerebrovascular condition in which blood flow to a brain region is suddenly interrupted, leading to tissue infarction. Neurons depend on continuous oxygen and glucose supply, so even brief reductions in perfusion cause energy failure, ionic imbalance, and irreversible injury. Ischemic strokes are classified into thrombotic and embolic types based on their underlying mechanisms.Thrombotic MechanismsThrombotic stroke develops when a clot forms within a cerebral artery.
Hemorrhagic Stroke l: Introduction01:17

Hemorrhagic Stroke l: Introduction

A hemorrhagic stroke is an acute neurological event that occurs when a weakened cerebral blood vessel ruptures, allowing blood to accumulate within or around the brain. The sudden release of blood forms a focal hematoma that increases intracranial pressure, displaces neural tissue, and can obstruct cerebrospinal fluid pathways. These effects may be compounded by intraventricular extension of the hemorrhage, cerebral edema, or compression of adjacent structures, all of which contribute to...