Stroke Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Stroke, including details on treatment, recovery, rehabilitation, signs, symptoms. | ||||||||
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Study of the propensity for hemorrhage in Hispanic Americans with stroke.Frey JL, Jahnke HK, Goslar PW Division of Neurology, Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, Arizona 85013, USA. frey007@gmail.com OBJECTIVE: Multiple sources document a higher proportion of intraparenchymal hemorrhage (HEM) in Hispanic (HIS) than white (WHI) patients with stroke. We sought an explanation for this phenomenon through analysis of multiple variables in our hospital-based stroke population. METHODS: We performed univariate and multivariate analysis of risk factors in our HIS and WHI patients with stroke to identify differences that might account for a greater propensity for HEM in HIS patients. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis disclosed that the risk of HEM correlated significantly with untreated hypertension (HTN), HIS ethnicity, and heavy alcohol intake. A negative correlation was found for hyperlipidemia and diabetes. Our HIS patients with stroke had a greater prevalence of untreated HTN and heavy alcohol intake, with HIS men being at greatest risk. CONCLUSIONS: HIS patients with stroke in our hospital-based population appear relatively more prone to HEM than do WHI patients. This risk correlates with a greater likelihood of having untreated HTN and heavy alcohol intake, more so for HIS men. The explanation appears to be a relative lack of health awareness and involvement in our health care system. The possibility that HIS ethnicity itself constitutes a biological risk factor for HEM remains a matter of speculation. Validation of this work with community data should lead to remediation through a community-based effort. Published 18 March 2008 in J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis, 17(2): 58-63.
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