Vascular focal cerebral dysfunction in elder adults of the community. Prevalence, atherogenic risk factors and management.

Abstract

Background: cerebrovascular disease is the third cause of death in elder adults of the entire world.
Aim: to characterize the epidemiologic, clinical behavior, aspects of the management and the association with atherogenic risk factors of the vascular focal cerebral dysfunction in elder adults.
Materials and Methods: we carried out a cross-sectional study, on a “door-to-door” population basis in two directions: one descriptive for determining the prevalence, risk factors, clinical subtypes and management aspects of the Vascular Focal Cerebral Dysfunction (VFCD), and another, cases and controls analytical direction for establishing the risk association in 901 elder people aged 65 years and more who live in a selected area of the Teaching Polyclinic “José Jacinto Milanés” of Matanzas, in the period from January 2003 to November 2006, as part of the international research project 10/66.
Outcomes: the obtained prevalence index of vascular focal cerebral dysfunction was 12,9 (116 elder people/43 transitory ischemic stroke and 73 ictus), predominating this affection in women, aged more than 80 years and the clinical subtypes athero- thrombotic ischemic ictus and carotidal transitory ischemic stroke (TIS). Only 29,3 % of the vascular focal cerebral dysfunctions were assessed by a physician during the first 24 hours after the event; in the cardioembolic ictus and hemorrhagic ictus subtypes the percentage increased to 83,3 % and 100 % respectively. The totality of the hemorrhagic ictus, 40, 5 % of the ischemic ictus and only 2,3 % (1 case) of the transitory ischemic seizures were cause of admission. The arterial hypertension (OR-2.56; IC 95 % 1.209-4.815), the associated cardiac disease (OR-2.18; IC 95 % 1.195-4.012), the previous transitory ischemic stroke (OR-50,1; IC 95 % 24,037-104,542) and physical inactivity (OR-2,66; IC 95 % 1,023-6,945) were the main risk factors for the development of an ischemic ictus in the studied group.