Risk factors for transient ischemic attack, hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke: single university hospital data

To evaluate the major modifiable risk factors among patients of all types of stroke. A retrospective hospital-based study was conducted at Riga East University Hospital Clinical Centre “Gailezers”. The data of 4915 patients from the Stroke register (2016-2020) of Neurology and Neurosurgery Clinic was analyzed in this study. Hypertension is a particularly important risk factor for all types of stroke, and it was found in 3602 (88,8%) patients with ischemic stroke (IS), in 302 (85,1%) - with transient ischemic attack (TIA) and in 461 (91,8%) - with hemorrhagic stroke (HS). Atrial fibrillation (AF), a risk factor for cardioembolic stroke, was discovered in 109 (30.7%) of the TIA patients, 1972 (48.6%) of the IS patients and 89 (17.8%) of the HS patients. Diabetes mellitus was found in 58(16.3%) TIA patients, 716 (17.6%) – IS, and 52 (10.4%) HS patients. Dyslipidemia was identified in 2015 (49,7%) patients with IS, in 193 (54,4%) patients with TIA. Previous ischemic stroke was diagnosed for 1200 (29,6%) patients with IS and in 95 (18,9%) patients with HS. Carotid artery stenosis is a more common risk factor for IS (37,6%) and TIA (38,6%) than for HS (8,8%), but alcohol abuse – for HS (7,8%). The percentage of overweight presence is approximately identical for patients with IS (20,6%), TIA (16,3%) and HS (14,5%). On the basis of these data - the major modifiable risk factors for all types of stroke were hypertension, AF, and dyslipidemia.