Epidemiology and genetics of stroke and its subtypes

Introduction

Stroke is the second commonest cause of death worldwide after coronary heart disease, and is a major cause of disability. The clinical burden and cost of stroke are at least as great as those due to heart disease or cancer, and are projected to increase rapidly as populations age. It affects mainly elderly people: about half of all strokes occur in those over the age of 75.

Stroke (or 'brain attack') is a clinical syndrome, presenting with a rapid onset of focal (or at times global) dysfunction of the brain, caused by abrupt interruption of blood supply to the brain because of a blocked or ruptured artery. There are three main pathological types. 80% of all strokes are ischaemic, while about 15% are due to intracerebral haemorrhage and 5% to subarachnoid haemorrhage. Each of these pathological types has various subtypes, whose underlying vascular pathology is incompletely understood.

Our group is using a variety of epidemiological methods to attempt to:

better understand the vascular pathologies underlying stroke subtypes (the stroke phenotype)
establish which genes do (and do not) contribute to the risk of stroke, its subtypes, and various intermediate phenotypes.

Understanding stroke subtypes

We are particularly interested in how differences and similarities in risk factors and prognosis between lacunar (small vessel disease) stroke and other ischaemic stroke subtypes may inform us about the underlying vascular pathology. We are exploring these through a series of systematic reviews and meta-analyses, collaborative individual patient data analyses, and analyses of data from over 2500 patients in our hospital-based stroke register, the Edinburgh Stroke Study.

	Introduction Stroke Genetics Publications Contact	Epidemiology and genetics of stroke and its subtypes Introduction Stroke is the second commonest cause of death worldwide after coronary heart disease, and is a major cause of disability. The clinical burden and cost of stroke are at least as great as those due to heart disease or cancer, and are projected to increase rapidly as populations age. It affects mainly elderly people: about half of all strokes occur in those over the age of 75. Stroke (or 'brain attack') is a clinical syndrome, presenting with a rapid onset of focal (or at times global) dysfunction of the brain, caused by abrupt interruption of blood supply to the brain because of a blocked or ruptured artery. There are three main pathological types. 80% of all strokes are ischaemic, while about 15% are due to intracerebral haemorrhage and 5% to subarachnoid haemorrhage. Each of these pathological types has various subtypes, whose underlying vascular pathology is incompletely understood. Our group is using a variety of epidemiological methods to attempt to: better understand the vascular pathologies underlying stroke subtypes (the stroke phenotype) establish which genes do (and do not) contribute to the risk of stroke, its subtypes, and various intermediate phenotypes. Understanding stroke subtypes We are particularly interested in how differences and similarities in risk factors and prognosis between lacunar (small vessel disease) stroke and other ischaemic stroke subtypes may inform us about the underlying vascular pathology. We are exploring these through a series of systematic reviews and meta-analyses, collaborative individual patient data analyses, and analyses of data from over 2500 patients in our hospital-based stroke register, the Edinburgh Stroke Study.
	Updated: Wed, 22nd September, 2010