Peripheral Arterial Disease Linked to Recurrence of Stroke

Ankle brachial index measurement screening for stroke and TIA patients may be merited

30 aug 2009-- Patients who have asymptomatic peripheral arterial disease after a stroke or transient ischemic attack are more likely to have another stroke or vascular event, according to a study published online on Aug. 27 in Stroke.

Souvik Sen, M.D., of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, and colleagues evaluated 102 patients and used ankle brachial index measurements to detect peripheral arterial disease. The patients were followed up for a mean of 2.1 years.

Among the 102 patients, 26 percent had asymptomatic peripheral arterial disease, the researchers found. During follow-up, 84 percent of those without asymptomatic peripheral arterial disease remained free of vascular events, compared with only 48 percent of those with asymptomatic peripheral arterial disease, the investigators discovered. The association remained, even after adjusting for confounding factors.

"Ankle brachial index measurement may be appropriate for screening patients with stroke and those with transient ischemic attack who may be at high risk for vascular events," the authors write. "Further studies are needed to determine if the screened high-risk patients may benefit from aggressive monitoring, risk factor modifications as well as possibly selecting patients for a more effective clinical trial design."

The study was funded by BMS/Sanofi Pharmaceuticals. A co-author reported a financial relationship with the pharmaceutical industry, including BMS/Sanofi.

Abstract
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