High prevalence of stroke symptoms among persons without a diagnosis of stroke or transient ischemic attack in a general population: the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study.

Background: A substantial portion of the general population has clinically silent stroke on brain imaging. These lesions may cause symptoms. This study assessed the prevalence of stroke symptoms in a stroke- and transient ischemic attack (TIA)-free population and the association of symptoms with risk factors indexed by the Framingham Stroke Risk Score.

Brain magnetic resonance imaging abnormalities following off-pump cardiac surgery.

Background: Neurological and cognitive deficits are known complications after coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) and are believed to be secondary to brain ischemia. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) of the brain is especially sensitive and can depict ischemic areas that may not be evident clinically or with conventional MRI. Abnormalities found at brain MRI following CABG performed with cardiopulmonary bypass (ie, on pump) have been reported, but data are limited for CABG performed without use of cardiopulmonary bypass (ie, off pump).

Control of hypertension and risk of stroke recurrence.

Background And Purpose: We investigated whether low blood pressure increases the risk of stroke recurrence.

Methods: A cohort of 662 patients, obtaining care at the 8 acute care hospitals serving the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania, was enrolled within 1 month of an initial stroke and was followed twice annually for up to 4 years. Cox proportional hazard models were developed to examine the relationship between risk of recurrent stroke and blood pressure, controlling for other significant risk factors.