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Vascular risk factors aggravate cognitive impairment in first‐ever young ischaemic stroke patients
Author(s) -
Lu D.,
Ren S.,
Zhang J.,
Sun D.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
european journal of neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.881
H-Index - 124
eISSN - 1468-1331
pISSN - 1351-5101
DOI - 10.1111/ene.12967
Subject(s) - medicine , stroke (engine) , cognition , verbal fluency test , diabetes mellitus , atrial fibrillation , cardiology , montreal cognitive assessment , physical therapy , cognitive impairment , disease , neuropsychology , psychiatry , endocrinology , mechanical engineering , engineering
Background and purpose Young ischaemic stroke patients often suffer from cognitive impairment after stroke. However, the risk factors of cognitive impairment are still unclear. This study examined the impact of vascular risk factors ( VRF s) on cognitive impairment in first‐ever young ischaemic stroke patients. Methods Subjects were divided into low (0–1 VRF , n = 27), medium (2–3 VRF s, n = 45) and high‐risk (≥4 VRF s, n = 12) groups according to their number of VRF s. The following VRF s were collected: hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidaemia, atrial fibrillation, obesity, smoking, excess alcohol consumption, coronary heart disease and hyperhomocysteinaemia. A battery of cognitive assessments was executed 2 weeks after stroke. Differences of cognitive performances between groups were compared. The correlation between VRF s and cognitive function was investigated with an emphasis on discovering the main VRF s. Results Eighty‐four patients were enrolled in this study eventually. Compared with the low‐risk group, the high‐risk group had significantly worse performance in most of the cognitive domains. VRF s had a correlation with general cognition, executive function, attention and verbal fluency. After adjusting the covariates, VRF s showed a linear correlation with global cognitive function ( R = 0.640, P = 0.000), verbal fluency ( R = 0.372, P = 0.000), delayed memory ( R = 0.327, P = 0.002), visual attention ( R = 0.290, P = 0.007) and executive function ( R = 0.266, P = 0.015). Amongst all the VRF s, hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, smoking and hyperhomocysteinaemia were the main influencing VRF s. Conclusion Vascular risk factors aggravate cognitive impairment after young ischaemic stroke. Effective management of VRFs in young adults is urgent and this may reduce the cognitive impairment.