Three standout risk factors for stroke severity identified: study
A study of patients in 32 countries pinpoints the three conditions most likely to result in a disabling acute stroke.
AF, hypertension and smoking are the standout precursors for severe strokes compared with mild or moderate strokes, neurologists say.
The case-control INTERSTROKE study involved data on nearly 27,000 patients across 32 countries, with an average age of 62.
It found that patients with AF had a 4.7-fold increased risk of severe stroke and 3.6 times the risk of mild to moderate stroke than people without AF.
The mean age of patients with AF was 10 years higher than those without AF, but the researchers said the effect on stroke was significant even after controlling for age.
