Prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors among elderly Brazilians over eighty with ischemic stroke.

Introduction: An ischemic stroke is usually a catastrophic event, mostly in the elderly. Cardiovascular involvement is the leading cause of ischemic stroke in this age population and hence the knowledge about its risk factors is important for the definition of specific policies of prevention.

Purpose: To evaluate the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in patients with age equal to or above 80 in a hospital population with ischemic stroke.