Key result
Cardioembolic sources drive ~30% of ischemic strokes, requiring aggressive antiplatelet and anticoagulant therapy.
Why the study?
Cardiologists need to understand the epidemiology and risk factors of ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack in patients with underlying cardiovascular disease due to their high incidence and impact.
Highlights the importance of aggressive treatment of stroke risk factors in patients with underlying cardiovascular disease.
Supports intensified antithrombotic strategies in at-risk CVD patients; leaves open optimal agent selection across cardioembolic subtypes.
It is estimated that 15 to 30% of ischemic strokes are cardioembolic in origin, and that atrial fibrillation, valvular heart disease, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, and myocardial infarction are significant risk factors for stroke, which underscores the importance for cardiologists to understand this condition. The high incidence and substantial cost of stroke justify aggressive treatment of stroke risk factors, especially in the elderly, diabetic, and black populations, and in patients who have had an initial stroke. Antiplatelet therapy and administration of oral anticoagulants have both been shown to have a substantial impact on stroke in specified populations at risk.
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Philip B. Gorelick (2004) conducted a review in Transient ischemic attack and ischemic stroke in patients with underlying cardiovascular disease. Cardioembolic sources account for 15 to 30% of ischemic strokes, highlighting the importance of aggressive treatment of risk factors with antiplatelet therapy and oral anticoagulants.
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