Three-year follow-up of risk factors correlated with new atherothrombotic brain infarction in 708 elderly patients.

A prospective study correlated cigarette smoking, systolic or diastolic hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, low serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, hypertriglyceridemia, and obesity with development of new atherothrombotic brain infarction in 192 elderly men and 516 elderly women. Mean follow-up was 36 +/- 6 months (range 19-39). New atherothrombotic brain infarction occurred in 24 of 192 men (13%) and in 63 of 516 women (12%), difference not significant. Risk factors for atherothrombotic brain infarction in elderly men were cigarette smoking (p less than 0.001), systolic or diastolic hypertension (p less than 0.001), and diabetes mellitus (p less than 0.005). Risk factors for atherothrombotic brain infarction in elderly women were systolic or diastolic hypertension (p less than 0.001), diabetes mellitus (p less than 0.001), and obesity (p less than 0.005).