RESUMO
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Stroke risk factors and subtypes were examined for associations with mortality and recurrence rate in Taiwanese patients with first-ever and recurrent stroke. METHODS: This study examined patients with initial and recurrent stroke from 2003 to 2005 for risk factors, demographic data, Bamford subtypes and transient ischemic attack. RESULTS: One thousand and twenty-one patients with 1,085 stroke episodes were recruited. Significant factors associated with recurrent stroke were hyperlipidemia, atrial fibrillation and smoking. A significant incidence of lacunar infarction was noted in the patient population (37.82% in all patients; 41.02% in first stroke vs. 35.67% in recurrent stroke patients). Patients with diabetes mellitus were more likely to have lacunar rather than total anterior circulation infarction (TACI) or partial anterior circulation infarction (PACI). Hyperlipidemia was more often attributable to lacunar stroke than PACI. Atrial fibrillation was significantly associated with nonlacunar infarcts, TACI and PACI but not lacunar stroke. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of lacunar infarction was significantly higher in initial rather than recurrent stroke patients. Diabetes mellitus or hyperlipidemia was highly associated with lacunar infarction. Atrial fibrillation was associated with nonlacunar infarction in Taiwan, similar to the result of White and Black populations in the UK.