Investigation of Atrial and Ventricular Arrhythmias in Young Ischemic Cerebrovascular Disease Patients

Purpose: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a well-established major risk factor for ischemic stroke; however, the potential contribution of other arrhythmias remains insufficiently studied. This study aimed to evaluate atrial and ventricular arrhythmias in young ischemic stroke patients. Patients and methods: Ischemic stroke patients aged 18-50 years were prospectively examined. The patients' comorbidities were recorded, electrocardiograms, and echocardiograms were performed, and arrhythmia frequencies were examined using a 48-hour rhythm Holter device during their hospital stay. Results: Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) was the most frequent arrhythmia (12.5%), exceeding AF (4.7%) and ventricular tachycardia (VT) (4.7%) in young stroke patients. LV hypertrophy was observed in 39.1% of patients. Despite the young age of the cohort, 20.3% had recurrent stroke. A relationship was observed between recurrent stroke and chronic renal failure requiring dialysis. Conclusion: A 48-hour short-term Holter monitoring study detected supraventricular and ventricular arrhythmias, in addition to atrial fibrillation, in young patients with ischemic stroke. Larger studies involving longer-term rhythm monitoring are needed to confirm these findings.