Intracranial artery calcification: a newly identified risk factor of ischemic stroke
Xiang-yan Chen1, Wynnie Wai Man Lam, Ho Keung Ng
1Department of Anatomical & Cellular Pathology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR.
Insights
Intracranial artery calcification is more common in ischemic stroke patients. This calcification is an independent risk factor for ischemic stroke, alongside traditional factors like hypertension and diabetes.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Radiology
- Vascular Medicine
Background:
- Cerebral artery calcification is frequently observed on CT brain scans but remains understudied.
- Intracranial artery calcification (IAC) prevalence and its association with ischemic stroke require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the incidence of IAC in patients with ischemic stroke.
- To evaluate the correlation between IAC and ischemic stroke.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study comparing ischemic stroke patients with age- and gender-matched non-ischemic stroke controls.
- All participants underwent computed tomography (CT) of the brain.
Main Results:
- The study included 175 ischemic stroke patients and 182 controls.
- Intracranial internal carotid artery (IICA) showed the highest calcification prevalence (80.4%).
- Ischemic stroke patients exhibited a significantly higher prevalence of IAC (92.6%) compared to controls (76.4%, P < .001).
- Independent risk factors for ischemic stroke included hypertension, diabetes, smoking, IAC, hyperlipidemia, and atrial fibrillation.
Conclusions:
- Intracranial artery calcification is more prevalent in patients who have experienced an ischemic stroke.
- IAC is identified as an independent risk factor for ischemic stroke, in addition to established risk factors.
Background And Purpose:
Calcification in cerebral arteries is understudied, although frequently observed on computed tomography of the brain (CT brain). We aimed to assess the incidence of intracranial artery calcification in ischemic stroke patients and to evaluate its correlation with ischemic stroke.
Methods:
Our study included ischemic stroke patients and age-gender-matched nonischemic stroke patients referred for CT brain.
Results:
One hundred and seventy-five ischemic stroke patients and 182 controls were enrolled. The highest prevalence of calcification was seen in intracranial internal carotid artery (IICA) (80.4%), and less commonly in the vertebral artery (35.6%). There was a higher prevalence of intracranial artery calcification in ischemic stroke patients than controls (92.6% vs. 76.4%, P < .001). Hypertension (OR = 2.056, 95% CI: 1.129 approximately 3.745), diabetes (OR = 2.483, 95% CI: 1.233 approximately 5.001), smoking (OR = 2.844, 95% CI: 1.542 approximately 5.243), intracranial artery calcification (OR = 3.172, 95% CI: 1.252 approximately 8.036), hyperlipidemia (OR = 6.714, 95% CI: 3.302 approximately 13.650), and atrial fibrillation (OR = 7.941, 95% CI: 2.790 approximately 22.599) were found to be independently associated with ischemic stroke.
Conclusions:
We demonstrated a higher incidence of intracranial artery calcification in ischemic stroke patients. Besides traditional risk factors, intracranial artery calcification was found to be an independent risk factor of ischemic stroke.
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