[Cerebral infarctions in elderly patients with anemia]

The authors investigated the cause of cerebral infarctions in elderly patients with anemia. Among 411 patients with acute cerebral infarctions, eight patients showed anemia (Hb < 10 g/dl) at the time of stroke. Only 2 patients had strokes during hospitalization were aware of their anemias before stroke. They were classified into two groups. One was the sudden onset group (4 patients) of whom 3 had malignant tumors, and 2 showed disseminated intravascular coagulations (DIC). There were no patients with atrial fibrillation or cardiac disease. All patients showed cortical infarction, and two died soon after stroke. Autopsy revealed verruca formation of the mitral valve in one patient and thrombus in the right ventricle in another. We thought that non-bacterial thrombotic endocarditis (NBTE) was the major cause of cerebral infarctions in this group. The other group consisted of 4 cases of thrombotic stroke. Their neurological symptoms appeared to be progressive. They also showed cortical infarctions except for one case of pontine infarction. Severe stenosis of the cerebral arteries was revealed by angiography in two patients and by autopsy in one. We concluded that cerebral infarctions in elderly patients with anemia can be important signs of underlying malignant tumors in sudden onset strokes or cases of severe cerebral artery stenosis with thrombotic strokes.