The relationship of asymptomatic intracranial artery stenosis and Framingham stroke risk profile in a Northern Chinese industrial city

Abstract

Background: Intracranial artery stenosis may be the most frequent cause of ischemic stroke in the world. Early detection of asymptomatic intracranial artery stenosis may allow for therapeutic intervention. Most elements of the Framingham stroke risk profile (FSRP) are also risk factors for intracranial artery stenosis. Thus, the FSRP might play a role in detecting asymptomatic intracranial artery stenosis.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between the FSRP and asymptomatic intracranial artery stenosis.

Methods: A sample of 5852 subjects (age >40 years) was selected from the KaiLuan study. All participants received transcranial Doppler ultrasound examinations to detect the presence and quantify the severity of intracranial arterial stenosis. Demographic and clinical variables were investigated at the time of examination. Binary logistic regression analyses was performed to determine the odds ratio of FSRP components to asymptomatic intracranial stenosis before and after adjusted for gender, body mass index (BMI), and total cholesterol (TC).

Results: The subjects with intracranial artery stenosis were older than those without (68·2 versus 64·9), and the systolic blood pressure was higher in those with intracranial artery stenosis (146·86 versus 136·39). Among intracranial artery stenosis subjects, 77·5% had hypertension, 26·1% had diabetes, 8·9% had left ventricular hypertrophy, and 4·8% had atrial fibrillation. Logistic regression analyses revealed that age, systolic blood pressure, diabetes, atrial fibrillation, and left ventricular hypertrophy were risk factors for intracranial artery stenosis. The incidence of asymptomatic intracranial artery stenosis correlated with increasing FSRP scores. The odds ratios of intracranial artery stenosis from the lowest to the highest FSRP quartiles were as follows: 1 (reference group), 1·77 (95% CI: 1·23–2·56), 2·84 (95% CI: 2·02–3·98), 5·65 (95% CI: 4·03–7·93).

Conclusion: FSRP plays an important role in detecting asymptomatic intracranial artery stenosis.

Keywords:

• Asymptomatic intracranial artery stenosis
• Framingham stroke risk profile
• Risk factors
• Transcranial Doppler ultrasonography

The authors thank the staff and participants of the KailLuan cohort Study and AIAS study for their supports.