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.

Method: Retrospective study of consecutive patients diagnosed with ischemic stroke admitted to a tertiary health facility.

Results: From September 2004 to March 2006, 215 patients were studied. There was a female preponderance (p<0.01). Among patients over eighty, 72% had hypertension and atrial fibrillation was more common among the oldest old (p<0.01).

Conclusion: Hypertension and atrial fibrillation should be treated aggressively in the elderly. Anticoagulants should be considered more often in these patients.