The predictors of subclinical cerebral infarcts in ischaemic stroke patients

Subclinical cerebral infarcts (SCI) have been increasingly shown to cause a significant clinical impact. However, there are limited data available on Asian patients. The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of SCI in ischaemic stroke patients seen in the Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (HUKM) and to identify its associated risk factors. We evaluated the brain computed tomography (CT) evidence of subclinical infarcts in ischaemic stroke patients. The patients were selected from those who were on regular follow up in the neurology clinic following an ischaemic stroke. The risk factors associated with subclinical infarct were documented. The brain CTs were done during acute admission and reviewed for SCI. Sixty-one patients were enrolled in this study. Twenty-two (36.1%) out of the 61 patients had SCI. The risk factors for SCI in our study were hypertension (OR 14.16 CI 2.04-97.89), diabetes mellitus (OR 12.48; CI 1.95-79.77) and leukoaraiosis (OR 28.39; CI 2.33-284.16). Subclinical cerebral infarcts were present in about one third of our ischaemic stroke patients. This finding is higher than in previous studies done on Caucasians. Hypertension, diabetes mellitus and leukoaraiosis independently predict SCI.