Ischemic Stroke

Abstract

Background and Purpose —The risk of ischemic stroke is increased after a myocardial infarction. We quantified the stroke risk and evaluated ischemic stroke characteristics after an acute myocardial infarction. Methods —A case-control study including patients with first-ever stroke was undertaken. Cases (n=103) were recorded prospectively in the population-based Northern Sweden World Health Organization Multinational Monitoring of Trends and Determinants in Cardiovascular Disease (MONICA) study. Two controls per case with a stroke but without a recent myocardial infarction were matched for age, sex, and year of stroke onset. Results —The sudden onset of neurological symptoms (76.7% versus 54.9%, P P P P P P =NS); lacunar infarcts, 4.8% versus 27.2% ( P P =0.051). During the first 28 days after myocardial infarction, the daily rate of stroke declined rapidly from ≈9 to 1 stroke per 10 000 myocardial infarction patients compared with an age-adjusted average daily stroke rate of 0.14 per 10 000 in the MONICA population. Conclusions —We conclude that the clinical characteristics of the stroke differ between patients with and without a recent myocardial infarction. The risk of a first-ever ischemic stroke is highest during the first few days after a myocardial infarction, but it then declines rapidly, and the absolute number of stroke events is low.