Association of extracranial carotid arterial disease, prior atherothrombotic brain infarction, systemic hypertension, and left ventricular hypertrophy with the incidence of new atherothrombotic brain infarction at 45-month follow-up in 1,482 older patients.

Comparison of 239 older patients with 40% to 100% extracranial carotid arterial disease (ECAD) with 1,243 older patients with no significant ECAD showed a higher prevalence of systemic hypertension, left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy, and prior atherothrombotic brain infarction (ABI) and a higher incidence of new ABI in patients with ECAD than in patients without ECAD. A multivariate Cox regression model showed that independent predictors of new ABI were ECAD (risk ratio = 2.5), systemic hypertension (risk ratio = 2.3), prior ABI (risk ratio = 2.3), LV hypertrophy (risk ratio = 2.3), and male sex (risk ratio = 1.3).