Rinsho Shinkeigaku (Clinical Neurology)

The 43rd Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Neurology

Educational Lecture I:
Risk factors for cerebral infarction: current topics and new developments

Shinichiro Uchiyama, M.D.

Department of Neurology, Neurological Institute, Tokyo Women's Medical University

Current topics and new developments in risk factors for ischemic stroke were reviewed. Hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, atrial fibrillation, cigarrete smoking, and heavy alcohol drinking have been establised as being common treatable risk factors for stroke. Recent studies have clarified that homocystein, various cardiac sources of embolism such as patent foramen ovale, antiphopholipid antibodies, lipoprotein (Lp) abnormalities including Lp (a) and remnant-like particle, insulin resistance or hyperinsulinemia, infectious diseases such as Chlamydia Pneumoniae, and CRP are additional risk factors for stroke. In addition, genetic studies using single nucleotide polymorphisms have suggested that many gene polymorphisms are significant risk factors for certain subpopulations of stroke, which is recognized to be a polygenic disease. Management of these risk factors is clucial for primary prevention of stroke, which is the leading cause of death or disability all over the developed countries.

(CLINICA NEUROL, 42: 1064|1068, 2002)
key words: cerebral infarction, risk factors, primary prevention, gene polymorphism

(Received: 29-May-02)