Risk factors for geriatric stroke: identification and follow-up.

Systolic or diastolic hypertension, cigarette smoking, diabetes mellitus, left ventricular hypertrophy, age, prior stroke, transient cerebral ischemic attack, extracranial arterial disease, and coronary heart disease are risk factors for the most common type of geriatric stroke, atherothrombotic brain infarction (ABI). Also, by contributing to hypertension and diabetes mellitus, obesity predisposes to ABI. The relationship of abnormal serum lipids and of physical inactivity to ABI is unclear. Antihypertensive treatment decreases the incidence of fatal and nonfatal stroke in patients with systolic and diastolic hypertension. Cessation of smoking also decreases risk.